Mormons praise Romney at church service

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and his wife Ann, leave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after services on Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012 in Wofeboro, N.H.

/ AP Photo/Evan Vucci

(CBS News) Mitt Romney attended a service at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Wolfeboro, N.H., on Sunday morning and drew praise from several of its members for shining a positive light on the Mormon religion, according to a media pool report.

"There has never been as much positive attention to the church, thanks to the wonderful campaign of Mitt Romney and his family," J.W. Marriott Jr., the current chairman of the hotel chain Marriott International, Inc., said during a testimony portion of the service.

The Marriott family has deep ties to Romney, dating back to a close friendship between J. Willard Marriott Sr. (founder of the hotel chain) and Mitt Romney's father, George, the former chairman and president of American Motors Corporation and former Michigan governor. In fact, Mitt Romney's proper name - Willard Mitt Romney - was a tribute to the Marriott's founder.

J.W. Marriott Jr. told those at the morning church service that 90 percent of what's been written and said about the Mormon faith during the recent presidential election has been positive, including television programs focusing on the faith by CNN and NBC and several front-page newspaper stories.

"And that's a great tribute to Mitt and Ann and their family for living such an exemplary life," he. said. "A life of love and compassion, a good Latter Day Saint life. A life of leadership, reaching out to others, and touching others, and worshipping the Lord and putting families and the church first."

Others who gave testimony before the congregation offered similar praise for the Republican nominee. One man pointed to the three members of the Mormon church who spoke at the Republican National Convention about Romney's role as a member and leader in the church. "They just represented us so well," he said.

Another man expressed his amazement at watching vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, a devout Catholic, praise Romney's faith during his own convention speech. Ryan called Romney a man who is "prayerful and faithful" and said of the two religions, "our different faiths come together in the same moral creed."

"Never in my life did I think I would ever see, as I'm watching the RNC, I would never see a Catholic get up and say that a Mormon is just as good as any Catholic," said the unidentified man.

Mitt and Ann Romney sat about six rows from the front of the church during the service and showed little visible reaction to the comments, according to the pool report from the reporters who attended. Romney is at his Wolfeboro summer home and taking a couple days off after being officially named his party's nominee at the Republican National Convention in Tampa last week. He will travel to Vermont this week to prepare for the upcoming fall debates with President Obama.

[Wisdomwithage]

The ole Demmies and their left-wing media lapdogs are sure trying their best to find something, anything about the Romney/Ryan team that they can denigrate or ridicule.

However the Republican wave continues to move forward in a positive way as it builds momentum. Those of us who believe in America's future, and our pursuit of liberty, success and happiness look forward to November. This election is about jobs, the economy, and our national debt. It's not about looking in the rear view mirror, but rather forward, on the road ahead.

[retmw1]

Wow, you sure won't have that with romney, check and see how many companies he put into bankrupcy.

[A_Canadian_Opinion]

Matthew 7:15 tells us very succinctly about the Mormon church; wolves in sheep's clothing. That's also fitting to the GOP!

[TLUnrine]

Of course if you ask a Mormon how they feel about a high-ranking Mormon - you get a positive reply.

The Home Audience usually always roots for the Home Team. Except in the case of the football player who returned a punt in the wrong direction the other week.

So this wasn't news, except apparently he left his PDA in the SUV this time, so he was bored.

[iamhe999]

The GOP was doing so bad with Palin and McCaine, the Mormons seized the opportunity to slip in one of the Bishop Ministers...

I do not want a Mormon Minister for a president... sorry don't like him, and for so many reasons.. the most of which, he has sold his soul to the GOP to become president... he lies, with misinformation, misrepresentation, distortion, exaggeration, prevarication, equivocation, treachery, ridicule and flat out lies.

he is so made up.... the honkiest honky I have ever seen... it is not going to happen...

he represents the rich people taking control of our government, big business, corporations... the false God Dollah the Almighty and his obscene predatory profits...


no No NO.... no way.... Obama is a real human being with a social conscience...

Romney is a blow hard... compromised principle... another GOP not going to happen bad choice.

[TLUnrine]

Mormons will come back with the JFK-Catholic issue.

However, JFK was a pew-sitter, no reference to him even being an Altar Boy, never was ordained, probably did give a sizable donation though.

Then Bishop, High Priest Romney - ordained, Missionaries, Seminary graduate, Counselor to Stake President, Bishop, Stake President, gives LOTS in tithes, has an ancestor who was an Apostle, and Mitt has his eyes on being the next Apostle.

So Mitt is very much like American electing a Roman Catholic Cardinal, who retired from the church to run for the White House. Do we want a high ranking Mormon church official in the White House?

Can we afford to take a chance that he isn't lying about not being a Mormon President, controlled by Salt Lake, when all his other talk has been lies.

[Souptwins]

You both know so little about the LDS Church. All local leaders serve part time while holding regular jobs and then "released" or removed from the position. Romney served as a Bishop for the standard 5-6 yrs and was released. He's no longer a bishop and hasn't been for a couple decades. With nearly 30,000 current bishops who also will serve for about 5 yrs., that means there are a whole lot of "former bishops" in the LDS Church. It's really not that high of a position. Even his position of Stake President meant he was over about 6-8 local congregations in MA but was at some point released from the position and no longer has any position of leadership in the Church now. No one "positions" to be a General Authority in the LDS Church. It's not an election where you run for office or get nominated. I could perhaps see Romney being asked to serve as a Mission President should he not get elected but that would mean he's over a couple hundred young missionaries somewhere in the world but is more like being an orphanage parent than anything to do with setting church policy. You did provide some go laughter material, however.

[pwayne1]

Mitt Romney and Ann Romney are deceived and deceivers....to you Christians out there...I cannot understand how you could vote for this heretic who denies the diety of Christ and that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit....time to do your homework and research what a mormon is...maybe ....you're not a Christian...and you need to research that as well....naming the name of Jesus or having knowledge of Jesus or being baptized does NOT guarantee salvation...it is a Relationship with Christ....a turning from your sin...and accepting the Free gift of salvation Christ offers...it IS NOT the result of the tithing and good works or missions that mormons believe brings salvation with a little help from Jesus...that is heretical....Christ paid the price IN FULL with no help from us. So, you call yourselves Christian...you cannot deny Christ by voting for this heretic...also, it is time to examine the racial hatred that underlies your hatred of the President....you love Fox News...Rush Limbaugh and mormon heretic Glenn Beck because they fuel the hatred inside of you....The President is a Christian ....he is not the anti Christ....he cares about the American people....May I suggest that Christ condemned the letter of the law Pharisees and called them white washed tombs with dry bones inside....they were dead to Jesus....since they did not love the least of these. God hates a lying tongue and this past Republican convention was primarily lies as fact checked by every major news organization in the United States except your Fox and they found that most of the talk was false. The devil is a liar and Mitt Romney, Ann Romney and Paul Ryan are habitual Liars. Wake up before it is too late.

[A_Canadian_Opinion]

I thought church was intended to praise God and Jesus, not some false-religion-following-politician.

[joelcannon1]

I agree. Politics are seldom mentioned from the pulpit in a Mormon church, but when they are, it is a sensitive subject. Note that this was simply a normal member of the congregation and a personal friend who was sharing his personal opinion. We don't have a full transcript to know what else was said. There is a lot of attention focused on our church in the media - so it is unsurprising that the fellow Mormons at the convention would be mentioned.

The church is officially non-partisan on politics.

[elderoak]

A good financial book to read regarding our current issues was written in 1996 by a Christian leader Larry Burkett. It is called, "Investing For The Future." Stated on pages 40 and 41 are Larry's professional and Christian views with regards to the type of person one should NOT trust their finances or life too:

DO NOT TRUST PEOPLE WHO:

1. Use too much braggadocia and self-promotion. (Mayor of London did not call Romney "Mitt The Twit" for nothing!)
2. Have total control of everything and everyone where money is involved (IE: Bain and off shore accounts and hidden taxes and secret campaign financial supporters).
3. A lack of accountability, including financial statements. (again, Romney's Bain, off shore accounts, incomplete tax releases, and secret campaign supporters).
4. A track record of using others, and never taking a loss themselves. (Romney cannot think any-other way. BAIN AND HIS TAXES TELL IT ALL).

I am voting for President Obama. He is from the middle class and has been far more honest and open than Twit. Our economy is doing what is normal and is not the cause of any one President. It is the cause of American citizens. Look at the financial history of America. These financial ups and downs are normal and to be expected. They will not go away, they are part of our culture historically and in the future. Generally recessions occur every 50 to 70 years. This is the normal operation of market cycles. As always, eventually the economy will recover, it always does. But it will NOT be from any given factor of who is or is not President. I DO know that I do not want the republicans in office because they have:

1. Dehumanized and marginalized President Obama's mother and his birth and rights as an American.
2. Dehumanized and marginalized his father.
3. Discredited his education and careers.
4. Increased the sales of guns out of fear of his leadership much the same thought process as happened when slavery ended and the KKK started the NRA "to protect the white population". No Blacks were allowed to own guns.

In the same manner will Romney's republicans treat the middle class. Romney has already been doing this for years with tools such as Bain.

Romney's promises are nothing more than braggadocia and self-promotion and a prudent person would turn and run the other way!

[kimberper]

Don't forget what the mormon church did with Prop 8. They have $$$ to pull lots of strings~ especially if they get a puppet like Romney in the White House.

[lindaj1940]

I really wish people would get their facts straight. Did you know that those against Prop 8 raised more than a million dollars over what was raised in support Prop 8? I was there I know. If dollars guarantee a win then those against Prop 8 should have won. There are many people who believe that the definition of a marriage is between a man and a woman and so they voted what they believe. Many religions were involved in Prop 8, including Catholics and Mormons. It was a coalition. It is true that more members of the LDS Church gave their support for Prop 8, but it was because they believe in traditional marriage.

[helloDolly1]

Watch the lowlife dimocrats try to trash even Mitt's religion. They are comprised of people who are truly void of humor and are bitter about life. Gee sounds like traits of heavy drug users.

[Skootch]

That's funny. I thought his seed money came from El Salvadorian investors who funded death squads...

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/8/10/romneys_death_squad_ties_bain_launched

[TLUnrine]

Trash one's religion - seems the Mormons came to my door, and other doors telling us Christians that OUR baptisms are invalid, OUR priest's ordinations aren't authorized by GOD, and OUR churches are fake - - trashing one's religion - - hypocrites and liars these Mormons are.

[Bucky4U]

Why do the Evangelicals want to put an anti-christ into the white house?

The mormons claim to be Jews... every one is a Jew in happy mormon theology, Mormons descended from Ephraim, Native Americans from Manasseh, everybody except maybe black people.

I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are the Synagogue of Satan. - Revelations 2:9

[lindaj1940]

An anti-Christ is one who fights against the Lamb (Christ). We believe in Christ and do all we can to emulate His life to the best of our ability. I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jesus Christ is my Savior, the Redeemer of the world. He has walked with me and carried me through my trials. I am not a Jew. There are 12 tribes of Israel. Those who belong to the tribe of Judah are called Jews. Ephraim and Manassah are the sons of Joseph who was sold into Egypt. Ten of the tribes are lost. There are two tribes left - the Jews and those descended from Joseph through his sons.