My guess is that the Mormon Church would have a greater influence over Romney than the Pope ever had over Kennedy.
The Catholic Church is a much more diverse organization than the LDS Church.
Kennedy was third generation Irish-American and Pope Pius was an Italian who spoke little English. Kenneduy was hardly anything close to being a good Catholic.
Both Romney and the LDS elders and Prophet are English-speaking Americans.
The LDS Church would be unlikely to seek anything as inconveniencing to most non-Mormon Americans as the Catholic Church might wish to impose on the country if it had the power.
The RC Church has favored an end to abortions, capital punishment, and Church takeover of public schools and cemeteries in some Catholic nations, as well as a banning of BC pills and contraceptives.
The Mormons have never tried to impose their beliefs in this fashion: there are beer and liquor bars in Salt Lake City, and every restaurant serves coffee, coke and other caffeine drinks.
.
One could suppose that their laizzaire faire attitude is merely a product of their super tolerance.
Others might conclude, no, that would include hypocracy, that it has an odd air of indifference, kinda like watching your neighbor's second-grader playing with a razor and 'staying out of it.'
The Jews think that nonJewish people are Golem, or children who are the product of a human and a fundamentally base entity. This means that the Jews generally think that other people are inferior to them, spiritually proven.
I mention the Jews because the Mormons operate from a similar position of "never again" victimhood.
They have both experienced a driven consolidation.
Unlike most of America's tinselled and tooting religions, the Jews and the Mormon are a lower profile.
If there is a single word to describe the profile of the Morman in America, it is "stealth."
With stealth, they insinuated themselves into the White House--Darth Halderman and crewe.
With stealth, they insinuated themselves into Howard Hughes Tower, put him in the back room with a duffle bag full of recreational medication to watch Ice Station Zebra over 800 times, while they took over operations.
Their business is more than sound. One skyscraper built in Manhattan was ruled by some group as the most clean and complete deal ever. They are easilly the closest thing we have to Japanese discipline, with as much strong presence of communal oversight.
Most Americans have no clue about Mormons. Not saying they are evil as hell and nobody siees it, what I am saying is that most are factually unaware, and Mormons are alert and silent.
My only fear is that, because we are talking about reiligion here, and religion,, let's face it, is granted a bogus amount of privledge now in American politics, there will be no real discussion of the Mormon Church.
There is always much to say about how much a relgion controls one's life, especailly when one is an elected politician, and more especially when that control is Mormon control.
Mostly, Mormons never let other Mormons out of sight.
I still have a copy of an employment application from Salt Lake City--the question to which I refer was, specifically quoted: Are you a Mormon? This was no private enterprise application.
Let's face it, your average African American might take pause and favor discussion, since in their dogma Blaciks are written up as the Devils.
I think of them as dedicated Jesuit mafioso and latter day, as fastidiously and blandly dressed as the FBI, moving like an unseen Pretorian turtle. Their ninjas, all looking White l953, are everywhere amd nowhere.
I vote for an open discussion regarding the Mormons, and see it appropriate, correct, and timely. I can think of no reason why there should be no discussion, nor deference.
Stereotypes, obviously, are permitted.
