From Stefani Stone:
David Hill’s Feb. 2 column (“Romney must revisit beliefs”) centers on Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and suggests he faces an uphill battle if he decides to run for president in 2008 because of his religious beliefs as a Mormon.

Unfortunately, Hill wrongly assumes Romney’s political beliefs are consistent with official LDS positions. This is untrue.

Hill writes that “several odd policy positions taken by Mormons recently,” including Sen. Orrin Hatch’s [R-Utah] “pro-stem-cell posture and Romney’s moderated views about abortion and civil unions will cause some conservatives to take a second look at Mormon theology and belief.”

Romney’s views on these social issues are completely out of step with official LDS positions, and Romney, who is a moderate Republican, would not necessarily have an easy time winning a local race in Utah — one of the most conservative and Republican states in the Union. For that matter, Sen. Hatch’s pro-embryonic stem cell stance is not shared by most Utahns, and Hatch has worn out his welcome in many Utah circles.

Because of the influence of the LDS faith, Utah has one of the lowest abortion rates in the country, and last year Utah’s Legislature overwhelmingly passed an amendment to the state’s Constitution banning gay marriage and civil unions.

Romney’s political views do not represent LDS theology any more than Sen. Edward Kennedy’s [D-Mass.] or Sen. John Kerry’s [D-Mass.] pro-abortion stance reflects Catholic belief. Romney’s problem is not that he is LDS, per se, but that his political stances are not in harmony with his own faith.

If Romney runs for president, he will not only have to win over people of other faiths but people of his own faith as well.
Editor’s note: Stefani Stone is a political activist who lives in Washington, D.C.

A question of priorities

Name withheld:
I read with interest David Hill’s Feb. 2 column about Mormonism and Gov. Mitt Romney [R-Mass.]. As a person who left the Mormon faith, I can get to the core of the problem of which voters should be aware.

In the Mormon temples, a vow is made to put the Mormon Church first. Before 1990, there was even a death symbol involved about keeping the vow (which has since been removed). In no uncertain terms, the temple vow promises to use all talents to further the Mormon (Latter-day Saints) Church.

Would Gov. Romney keep his vow to the church always to put it first or would he be loyal to the people who vote for him? Which oath of trust would he break?

It is naive to think the agenda of the Mormon Church will be acceptable to all. Would he use his power to help religion get extra breaks and influence?

Mormons also agree to keep silent about the “sacred” vows they make in the temple. This creates a problem for the voter. When push comes to shove, would a Mormon who attends the Mormon temple put his church first? If he doesn’t, he has broken a vow. Either way, one cannot trust where the allegiance will lie.

Please keep my name confidential. I take a risk living in a Mormon community speaking out about the temple proceedings. Thank you.
Idaho Falls, Idaho

STATE OF THE UNION

Speech antics

From Ross Hammersley:
For all the hand-wringing over the “line of decorum” supposedly crossed by Democratic members during President Bush’s State of the Union speech (“Republicans criticize Dems for hissing at speech,” The Hill’s website, Feb. 3), the majority party would do well to remember some of their own less-than-mature antics the last time they found themselves outnumbered and listening to the address of an opposition president.

News accounts of President Clinton’s 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1998 State of the Union addresses note that boos, hisses and outright heckling were heard from members on the right of the chamber several times during those speeches.
This is not to advocate for or against the practice, but some members who purport to be aghast at the gall of the minority party should remember a particularly applicable passage from a great book: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Lansing, Mich.

Class in Congress

From Brian Bigbie:
I write in reference to Geoff Earl’s Feb. 3 article on The Hill’s website about Republicans showing contempt for Democrats by booing  during the State of the Union address.

This is just another form of Republicans failing to acknowledge that they do the same thing. In every one of his State of the Union speeches President Bush has given, the Republicans yelp and caw and sound like a bunch of hecklers at a football game. When the same thing is done by the opposition, Republicans cannot handle the criticism and blame the Democrats or others. 

Though blame for inappropriate actions lies on both sides of the aisle, Republicans have no right to chastise Democrats for their actions. Congress should have a little more class and not sound like the British House of Commons.
May God Bless America.
Arlington, Va.