07AR12-19

( - previous issue - )

Apologia Report 12:19

May 17, 2007

Subject: Hard-hitting look at Mitt Romney from Time magazine

In this issue:

MORMONISM - Time magazine on Slate editor's finding that Joseph Smith "was an obvious con man" and implications for Mitt Romney

ORIGINS - an unbiased profile of Michael Behe in Publishers Weekly

+ CRI's journal responds to Francis Collins and theistic evolution

SIKHISM - its history and theology, encouragement for dialog between Christians and Sikhs

-------

MORMONISM

"Romney's Mormon Question" (or, "The Religion Test," in the print version as it was previously titled online) by Nancy Gibbs -- what to do about an LDS presidential candidate? There has been much speculation in the media at this point. What makes this different is that Gibbs reviews the political strategies, both pro and con, regarding Mitt Romney's bid. The arguments of those in opposition to Romney which Gibbs trots out are quite formidable. And what a venue for doing so!

"Slate editor Jacob Weisberg [slate.com] threw down the challenge after reviewing some of Joseph Smith's more extravagant assertions. 'He was an obvious con man,' Weisberg wrote. 'Romney has every right to believe in con men, but I want to know if he does, and if so, I don't want him running the country.' ...

"Romney supporters are offering Mormonism 101, emphasizing hard work, clean living and shared family values, to address the concerns of the 29% of Americans who say they would not vote for an LDS member for President. But when it comes to religiously conservative voters, the more people learn, the greater Romney's problem may become. ...

"Many Evangelicals have been taught that Mormonism is a cult with a heretical understanding of Scripture and doctrine. Mormons reject the unified Trinity and teach that God has a body of flesh and blood. Though Mormons revere Christ as Savior and certainly call themselves Christians, the church is rooted in a rebuke to traditional Christianity. Joseph Smith presented himself as a prophet whom God had instructed to restore his true church, since 'all their creeds were an abomination in his sight.' He described how an angel named Moroni provided him with golden tablets that told the story (written in what Smith called 'reformed Egyptian' hieroglyphics, never seen before) of an ancient civilization of Israelites sent by God to America. The tablets included lessons Jesus taught during a visit to America after his Resurrection. Smith was able to read and translate the tablets with the help of special transparent stones he used as spectacles. He published them as the Book of Mormon in 1830.

"Twelve years later, Smith explained to a Chicago newspaper that 'ignorant translators, careless transcribers or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors' in the Bible, which he revised according to God's revelations. ...

"Romney was bishop of a ward, or congregation, and eventually president of a stake in Boston, meaning he was responsible for 14 wards with a total of some 3,000 members. Women cannot serve in priestly roles, nor could African Americans until a new revelation brought a change of policy in 1978. Should Romney have to account for such church practices? ...

"Conservative Christians don't much like the idea that the Bible is corrupted or that its truths could be updated. The conflicts run deep enough that in 2001 the Vatican ruled Mormon baptisms invalid, and even the more liberal Presbyterians and United Methodists require that Mormons looking to convert be rebaptized. Southern Baptists have called Utah 'a stronghold of Satan,' and there are many bookshelves' worth of anti-Mormon literature in circulation. The church's aggressive missionary work is a particular challenge to other professing churches, which believe that converts to Mormonism are not truly saved.'"

According to Gibbs, Romney notes that "Mormon leaders past and present 'said all sorts of things, but they're not church doctrine.'" (Many who share the gospel with Mormons encounter that line. Unfortunately, many more have no idea how much dirty laundry may be avoided by the typical LDS use of this evasive remark.)

Gibbs continues. "Weisberg's characterization of Mormonism as 'Scientology plus 125 years' did not stop Romney from naming L. Ron Hubbard's Battlefield Earth a favorite novel. 'Someone who believes, seriously believes, in a modern hoax is someone we should think hard about,' Weisberg argues, 'whether they have the skepticism and intellectual seriousness to take on this job.'" Time, May 14 '07,

p40-42. <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1619552,00.html>

---

ORIGINS

"Michael Behe's Argument for Design" by Sarah F. Gold -- the author profile begins: "The war of evolution vs. intelligent design rages on, with at least eight books on the topic being published in the first half of 2007.

"The most controversial book in the continual debate will no doubt be Michael Behe's The Edge of Evolution: The search for the Limits of Darwinism [1]." ...

"Building his case from the intricate workings of proteins and complicated calculations of probability, he claims that design goes beyond the cell, reaching up the ladder of life to the development of vertebrates."

Gold explains that life for Behe can be lonely. "... Behe's colleagues at Lehigh [University] have distanced themselves from him: 'We had department meetings where it was pretty much me against the world, and they put up a statement on the department Web site essentially disavowing intelligent design and pledging allegiance to Darwin's theory and saying that there's only one screwball in the department here who disagrees with this.' [Behe] adds that there are people who seem to take it personally and 'turn the other way' when they see him in the hallway."

Behe, who also wrote Darwin's Black Box [2], "used to be a believer in Darwin's theory, until 'in the late '80s I read a book called Evolution: A Theory in Crisis by Michael Denton [3], who is a geneticist in Australia....'

"Behe is a practicing Catholic who says he personally believes that God is the designer whose handiwork he sees in the complexities of the cell. Still, he, too, hews to the scientific line in insisting there's no evidence regarding the designer's identity. ...

"Behe feels 'serenely confident that design will in fact be widely recognized or be a prominent player.' And he may be right. In a new Newsweek poll, only 48% of those questioned believe evolution is 'well-supported by the evidence and widely accepted in the scientific community.'" Publishers Weekly, Apr 16 '07, p25.

"No God-of-the-Gaps Allowed: Francis Collins and Theistic Evolution" by Paul Nelson -- with all the attention that has been given to Collins and his book The Language of God [4], many will likely appreciate this response. Nelson briefly reviews the main points that Collins makes in support of theistic evolution and notes other prominent adherents of this persuasion. Nelson then explains why it is that most evolutionary biologists are unimpressed by Collins' arguments. This is followed by a summary of what Nelson sees as the central flaw of Collins' position:"Pressing methodological naturalism on others, as Collins does, when he rejects it himself."

At times the technical discussion may not communicate well with general readers since key terms are left unexplained (e.g., the difference between philosophical and methodological naturalism). Christian Research Journal, 30:2 - 2007, pp50-51.

---

SIKHISM

"Neither Hindu nor Muslim: Inside the Universal Brotherhood of SikhismÓ by Natun Bhattacharya and C. Wayne Mayhall -- Did you know that: "Sikhs place a great deal of importance in [their] gurus;" and that they reject polytheism and the caste system, but accept karma and reincarnation? This profile includes: brief history, theology, advice for dialog, and a persuasive argument for increased compassion toward the people represented by this belief system.

One sidebar charts the most prominent Sikh gurus and a second charts the comparison of key theological concepts in Christianity and Sikhism. Christian Research Journal, 30:2 - 2007, pp24-33.

-------

Sources, Monographs:

1 - The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism, by Michael J. Behe (Free Press, June 2007, hardcover, 336 pages)

<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743296206/apologiareport>

2 - Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution, by Michael Behe (Free Press, 1998, paperback, 320 pages)

<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684834936/apologiareport>

3 - Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, by Michael Denton (Adler & Adler rev ed, 1986, paperback, 368 pages)

<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/091756152X/apologiareport>

4 - The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief by Francis Collins (Free Press, 2006, hardcover, 304 pages)

<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743286391/apologiareport>

--------

( - next issue - )