-By Resa LaRu Kirkland
***This is an updated article on one I originally wrote on December 28, 2007. Given the recent event in New Hampshire, I found it apropos to update it.***
I have come to the conclusion that Mitt Romney is a Mormon In Name Only (MINO.) I know this requires an explanation, especially for those who may know nothing about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And even more so for my fellow Mormons.
Before we were born, we had a choice to make. As our Heavenly Parents were helping us decide on the how’s and what’s of the next section of our eternal progression, we were confronted with a baffling decision. We had progressed as far as we could spiritually; now was the time to conquer the flesh. We all wanted to return to live with our Parents when our earthly mission was over, but knew that once we had a body on earth, we would be weak things whose default mode was sin. That meant it would be impossible for any of us to return to Father, who can look upon sin with no tolerance.What to do?
Enter two beloved siblings, each with a plan.
The plan of our oldest brother, who would on earth be known as Jesus, was to continue the plan we already followed in Heaven under our Father in Heaven–free will–but have one who would pay the wages for us sinners who would agree to follow him. That way He could satisfy the demands of justice–which mercy can not rob–but give the gift of mercy for those who would choose it. He even volunteered to be the one who paid that terrible price, and in humility offered the glory that would follow such a gift back to His Father.
The plan of the Son of the Morning Star–whose tantrum and evil tongue would cause him to turn against Father and leave His presence with 1/3 of our easily led siblings and take on the name Satan–played on the tender feelings of our Heavenly Parents. He promised that if he was in charge, he would force all of us to obey God’s will so that not a single one of us would be lost. We would all come back whether we wanted to or not. But in return, God’s glory would become his own.
Father could have said, “My domain, my decision, I’ll choose.” After all, it was His domain, and He did have the right. But He didn’t. He turned to us; after all, we were going to be the ones who would have to live and die with this decision on Earth. So we joined him in a Grand Counsel where we discussed with logic, reason, and what we already knew of free will and democracy and made the decision that made our Parents proud and us free. We raised our hands for the right to choose.
Christ’s plan won our hearts, and the day. Decision made, we set about planning for our Second Estate, during which we would prove to ourselves whether or not we were truly capable of walking what we talked.
Lucifer, seething over losing the vote, began planting little seeds of anger and hate here and there. His advantage was a good one; having been raised with our spiritual family, he knew us, and knew who among us could be easily led with emotion, anger, confusion, frustration, power, lust, and hatred. He eventually convinced 1/3 of our beloved siblings to leave our Father’s House with him and try to wrest the kingdom away. This would be extremely difficult for him to do given the fact that he and his 1/3 forfeited their right to physical bodies. Their success or failure, therefore, would depend upon how well they could convince the rest of us to carry their flag for them. This would also enable them to punish us for voting against their side. And never forget–unlike us, they have not gone through the veil of forgetfulness. They remember you, and more importantly, they remember how you voted.
It’s been the exact same battle following us to earth, and the exact same choice.
So now we have a Mormon running for the highest office in the country–no, let’s face it: in the world. Given that most people like Mormons–those they know, anyway–you would think it would be an easy sell.
So far, however, it hasn’t been, but not for the reasons you might think. It truly has less to do with prejudice against Mormons than it does this particular Mormon.
I am writing this article because I have been deluged with readers assuming that I am voting for Romney. Aside from the fact that it is excruciatingly RETARDED to vote for someone just because they are the same race, sex, or religion as you, my answer to the Romney question comes from the first Prophet of the Restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Joseph Smith, and the book he translated under modern-day revelation from Father. (Yep, Father talks to us…wouldn’t you answer the call of a child in need? If you, weak mortal that you are, are capable of such love, how much more is Father?)
