The Secret and Strange World of Mormon Beliefs and the Banned Cartoon

JFK had a hard time getting elected because of his Catholic religion. People thought he might follow the pope before the people of the United States. Now with the possibility of a Mormon running for president, people are starting to question some of the strange beliefs of Mormonism.

Non-believers have their own reasons for not wanting a religious president in the white house (look at the Bush Jr. years for an example) but it seems that other Christian groups also take a hard stance against the Mormons even to the extent of producing films which educate the public on the strange beliefs of Mormons. Of course "strange" is in the eye of the beholder as what one considers strange certainly depends on one's viewpoint.

Then again the Mormons have a lot of weird customs and beliefs - the holy underwear, the racism, the sexism, the polygamy thing, no caffeine/alcohol, the offering of the book of Mormon to ancestors, the huge hot tubs on the backs of oxen, Jesus in America, blaming wagon train massacres on the Native Americans etc. Plus the fact that the whole religion was started by a con man who was run out of town and threaten by castration. If you don't know what I'm talking about the you don't know enough about the religion. I suggest you start with "Under The Banner Of Heaven" by the always excellent Jon Krakauer and then perhaps take in the new Broadway show "The Book of Mormon".

The following cartoon, banned by Youtube after pressure from the powerful and rich Mormon church explains some of the teachings of founder Joseph Smith and his golden tablets which he claimed contain missing parts of the bible.

Doing a bit more research as suggested by one commenter to this article allow me to rediscover the first time a Mormon announce he was going to run for President of the United States. It was non-other than the original Mormon -- Joseph Smith himself! The former "seer stoner" and treasure hunter had his eyes set on the very top political job in the land.

"Smith's hubris and growing megalomania seemed to reach its zenith when he announced his candidacy for president of the United States. A new Nauvoo newspaper, not under Smith's direct control, then published its first issue criticizing the Mormon leader. That paper's first issue was its last. Joseph Smith ordered its presses destroyed on June 11,1844. Subsequently, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were arrested. A mob stormed the jail and killed them both. This would become a "martyrdom" for Mormons, but for many others it was simply seen as an end to tyranny."

Link (based upon "When the Saints Go Marching In" By David Heinzmann, Salt Lake City Tribune, April 28, 2002)

So the current crop of Mormon's running for president have the ultimate role model to inspire them - the founder of the Mormon's. Hopefully there will be less drama than back in the day.