Kristine Haglund: Anti-Mormonism The New Anti-Catholicism

[Zakuska]

I'm watching this replay on C-SPAN.

Editor Kristine Haglund is one of a panel of experts–also including Boston College Professor of Political Science and media commenter Alan Wolfe, Boston University Professor of Religion Stephen Prothero (according to Sally Quinn— best religious scholar in the country ) and moderator Mark Massa, dean of the School of Theology and Ministry– who discussed “Are Mormons the New Catholics and Jews? Mitt Romney and the State of the Union” at Boston College on March 13.

So while all the hoopla was happening while Romney was losing in Alabama and Mississippi.

https://www.dialoguejournal.com/2012/watch-editor-kristine-haglund-on-c-span-discussing-mormonism-and-politics/

I hope the Mods will let this stand I know it borders on Political, however it does explore many facits of Mormoism and how it relates to Politics and public life.

So how did she do?

[Emerson]

She did brilliantly, as can be expected. There are very few better faithful, intelligent, and committed voices representing Mormonism today than her's.

[Calm]

About how long is it? I generally don't like viewing videos of people talking as I find it hard to concentrate unless in person (much better at reading) and if I get interrupted likely I won't go back again, so I need to plan when I'm going to watch something if it's long.

[Zakuska]

A little more than an hour..

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/304889-1

[Calm]

Okay, that mean middle of the night watching....just when I promised myself to stay off the computer after midnight...(reading a book doesnt' wake me up like watching TV or the computer).

[kolipoki09]

So how did she do?

I think she did a remarkably good job, considering the fact that she has since expressed that she was somewhat (and understandably) nervous going into it. She mentioned that both she and co-panelist Stephen Prothero were asked to make prepared statements prior to the discussion, but that for some odd reason they went directly into the discussion and skipped the prepared portion all together.

She is already getting flak from ex-Mormons who considered her an "apologist" and "borderline honest on the sticky stuff," and at least one fundamentalist who claimed she was waxing apostate and

(though it's entirely possible that the latter analysis came as the result of the reviewer selecting quotes out of context, routinely not taking his prescription medication, and not understanding women - which also might explain why he's been married four times).

I think Kristine is one of the brightest minds in Mormonism today. We certainly need more people like her, and more conversations like this going on. Her analysis of Mormon sexism was spot-on. We're chivalrous, we put women on a pedestal, and we tell them not to speak too loudly.

She also points out that Mormonism's trend toward conservative politics came in the late 1970s when the Church became involved in stopping the Equal Rights Amendment - which the Church previously supported. Though I partly agree with her, I would put it much earlier to the late 1940s and early 1950s when American patriotism was emphatically stressed in an attempt to disassociate Mormon theology with socialism. This is, I think, underscored by Tona Hangen's paper "Mormonism's Middle Way" which was presented last June at the Richard Bushman Symposium.

I also concur with Prothero that while Romney's rhetorical strategy of silence about his faith has served to benefit him during this election year, it is unlikely that he'll be able to maintain that silence amid public pressure to personally clarify some perplexing issues. I also welcome that dialogue.