In my last diary about baptism-by-proxy as performed by the Mormon church I mentioned that there's a whole slew of other interesting facts about Mormons, including the belief in "discernment" or the ability to "know a man's heart." Mitt Romney isn't just uber-wealthy and uber white, he's also magic. And I don't mean just his "magic underwear." I mean, Bishop Romney believes he possesses several supernatural abilities, specifically the abilities to heal the sick; "discern" sinners by sight alone (ie read your mind); confer "Patriarchal Blessings" that will disclose God's plans for you (ie see the future); exorcise ghosts and demons when necessary; and have regular chats with God who may offer personal revelation at any time on a wide variety of issues.
Mitt gained those abilities as he ascended in the church, beginning when he received the Aaronic priesthood as a young man, and then Melchizedek Priesthood. It's a pyramid scheme and the higher you get the more perks you're awarded. By the time he received his calling as Bishop he would have been given these abilities by the man who called him to the office. (But the men above him have even more power. Which is why it annoys me when people say that Mitt was some sort of leader or authority in the church. Not according to the magic flowchart of penis power. He was at the bottom of that particular hierarchy and he had to work within extremely tight constraints from the central authority.)
In my diary about Mitt's ambivalence towards women I attempted to explain how the Church's history of subjugating women (sexually, mentally, and emotionally) continues to influence the way women are treated today. To say they are second-class citizens within the church would almost be too generous. The men in the LDS Corp have an excellent justification for keeping women at the bottom of the hierarchy: women are not worthy of holding the keys to the priesthood.
From BYU's Mormon Wiki
The keys of the priesthood refer to the right to exercise power in the name of Jesus Christ or to preside over a priesthood function, quorum, or organizational division of the Church. Keys are necessary to maintain order and to see that the functions of the Church are performed in the proper time, place, and manner. They are given by the laying on of hands in an ordination or setting apart by a person who presides and who holds the appropriate keys at a higher level. Many keys were restored to men on earth by heavenly messengers to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.
The hierarchy is strictly maintained and reinforced every single day. Boys are eligible to hold the Aaronic priesthood once they turn twelve. Which means that a twelve year boy has more authority within his home and within the church than his mother, who isn't worthy for any of the keys. They don't have very many supernatural powers at that level, but more than their mothers or sisters have!
I found this flowchart that nicely demonstrates how much power a priesthood holder has within his family and the church, courtesy of Mormon Expression. You should definitely read that article, it's quite informative.
You may have noticed that ultimately there is only one way for this flowchart to end--what the leader has stated is true. If you disagree, you need to pray more, pray harder, repent for your sins, stop being so proud, but you must not reach your own conclusion. If you can't rationalize it away or pray it away, the flowchart leads you back to "The priesthood leader is always right."
Mitt Romney is always right.
Teenage Romney would have been holding the Aaronic from his twelfth birthday on. Which means that in addition to having all the white, upper-class, wealthy privilege he so very much enjoyed at places like Cranbook, he was also made to believe he had magic powers. The same week he held down a crying boy and committed his own "rape of the lock" he served the sacrement at his local ward, probably prayed over some folks, and of course, enjoyed the righteous power of God's authority on earth.
In Latter-day Saint usage, Sacrament designates that ordinance instituted by Jesus Christ as a means by which worthy Saints may renew their covenants with their Redeemer and with God the Father
It's a big deal for faithful Mormons. It's like being baptized every week and it's basically the most important spiritual act a Mormon would engage in all week.
The ordinance of the Sacrament is administered by "those having authority"-that is, by priesthood bearers. According to modern revelation, priests in the Aaronic Priesthood and any Melchizedek Priesthood holder may officiate at the Sacrament table; in general practice, the table is prepared by teachers in the Aaronic Priesthood, and the bread and water are blessed by priests and passed to the members of the Church by deacons in the same priesthood.
In other words, boys from the age of 12 to 19. That means that Mitt Romney could bully a kid on Friday, get into whatever trouble he could find on Saturday, and then bless and administer the sacrement on Sunday, because
no matter what shitty thing he did during the week, he still had moral authority and God's powers (authority his own mother lacked). Daddy Romney gave him all his worldly comforts and advantages, and God the Father provided the extra perks. Furthermore, those who old the priesthood cannot be questioned. Romney is used to his word being law, because it is. Romney doesn't expect people to question him because nobody ever does.
By the time Mitt went on his mission to France, he would have gained most of his magical powers. Missionaries are primarily the ones performing exorcisms, and make no mistake, Mormons believe in literal demons. Lucifer walked out of the pre-existence with 1/3 of the Host, and they are all working against "the Saints." Mormons believe in ghosts and immortals (there are at least 3 immortal beings roaming around the earth right now, helping out Saints when expedient. Maybe somebody should ask Mitt about the The Three Nephites) as well--Mormon "Folklore" is ripe with some really wacky stories.
Maybe this is why Romney doesn't really want to explain what a Bishop is or what a Stake President does. Those are bureaucratic offices. The real power is handed out and controlled via the hierarchy of Priesthood, and every male is automatically entitled to a portion of that power by 1)turning 12 and 2)possessing a penis. As Bishop, his primary responsibilities would have included the list I outlined above: healing the sick, reading minds, foreseeing the future, giving blessings, exorcising ghosts, and chatting with god. Or as the LDS Corp would say
Duties of the Bishop and Branch President
The gift of discernment enables a bishop or branch president to know truth, to understand the differences between good and evil, and even to know what is in a person’s heart.
Gift of Discernment
The gift of discernment consists of the spiritual quality or skill of being able to see or understand, especially that which is hidden or obscure. This ability is shared in a general way by all of God's children, but "discerning of spirits" is one of the gifts of the spirit that comes, under certain circumstances, specially from God (1 Cor. 12:10; D&C 46:23). The fuller gift of discerning in all spiritual matters—to know whether their occurrence is of God or not—is given by the Lord to "such as God shall appoint and ordain to watch over the church" (D&C 46:27). To possess this gift is to receive divinely revealed understanding of opposing spirits—the spirit of God and the spirit of the devil. Persons possessing such a gift also correctly perceive the right course of action (D&C 63:41).
This is Mitt Romney's reality. God has given him the special ability to understand the secret hearts of men and to perceive the right course of action. This ability was promised to him since childhood in the form of Bishop Romney Senior, and has always been an integral part of his life and belief system. This is worse than "thinking with your gut." And we see it manfiest itself constantly. That's why so many people around here don't know what to make of him. They aren't used to seeing a man act as though he's truly are on a mission from God, guided by a special sixth sense that allows him to see into the hearts of men.
Maybe he doesn't believe he has magic powers. Maybe he's been going through the motions and being the perfect Mormon because he found it socially and politically expedient. Of course, he didn't grow up in Utah and outside of here, I can't imagine why anybody would be foolish enough to think being a Mormon is an advantage rather than a handicap. Besides, that would be one hell of a fake commitment since he, like all active members of the church, was required to devote a ton of time to the community--being active in the Mormon church is like having another part time job on top of your regular life and your family (they say when you quit you get a 10 percent raise and a Sundays off, but it's more like a 10 percent raise and 20 hours of your life back).
I don't know which option I find more disturbing, but I do know which option I'd bet money on. I don't doubt he's a fully faithful member, a devout man who believes he and his family have a close relationship with God. So close, in fact, that God tells him what to do.
You know what's more than little bit funny? A bishop's main task is to oversee and distribute the ward's welfare--he runs the bishop's storehouse! There's a whole section on the LDS website that explains one of the primary uses of discernment is to A)seek out the poor and B)help the poor preemptively. Could you imagine Bishop Romney actually using his powers for good? His wife's head would explode!
BTW, does this verbiage seem familiar to anybody?
http://www.ldschurchnews.com/...
Bishops are blessed with and are very much entitled to the gift of discernment as they are faced with the task to seek out and care for the poor, said Bishop H. David Burton.
He outlined some of the basic, time-tested welfare principles that will help bishops optimize their decisions:
Provide work and service opportunities. "For individuals to retain their dignity during a time of personal distress, opportunities for service and work commensurate with the recipients' circumstances should be found," he said. "The value of the work or service need not be equal to the assistance received but rather sufficient to avoid the evils of the dole and the fostering of an entitlement mentality. The ward council can assist by compiling and maintaining a list of meaningful work opportunities."
A minor example of Romney's programming, but it's far from the only one.
Electing Romney president won't usher the LDS Corp into the Oval Office, but it will allow a a certain mentality marked by paternalism, misogyny, and racism into public policy and discourse because Romney will rule based on what he knows. Everything Romney actually "stands for" has indeed been programmed in by his church...his father's church...his grandfather's church...his great-grandfather's church. The church that these men helped build--it is a part of his DNA. There's no separating family life from church life, no marking off his childhood beliefs from his adult beliefs, no understanding of the world without the magic Mormon filter.