Reasons to not Support Mitt Romney: Number 2: Mormonism worse than Abortion

by Steve C. Halbrook
(posts in this series: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5)

2. Supporting Mitt Romney in the name of fighting abortion overlooks the fact that Mormonism is worse than abortion.

Many may support Mitt Romney because they have reason to believe that he can make a positive difference in the fight against legalized abortion (however imperfect his opposition to abortion might be). While we question if Romney would do more good than harm in matters of abortion, even if, for argument’s sake, he could make a positive difference, such a view fails to grasp the big picture.

                                                     

As horrendous as abortion is, Romney’s Mormonism is much more horrendous. Mormonism is rank idolatry, and idolatry is a greater sin than abortion. 

This is because while abortion is a violation of the 2^nd table of the law (commandments 5-10 of the 10 Commandments), idolatry is a violation of the 1^st table of the law (commandments 1-4 of the 10 Commandments). (Specifically, idolatry is a violation of the 1^st commandment [“You shall have no other gods before me," Exodus 20:3], while abortion is a violation of the 6^th commandment [“You shall not murder," Exodus 20:13].)       

While the 2^nd table of the law is summarized as the command to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:39), the 1^st table of the law is summarized as the command to love God with all one's heart, soul, and mind – the greatest commandent (Matthew 22:36 - 38). It logically follows then that violating the greatest commandment is the greater offense. Hence, idolatry is worse than abortion.

If then Christian voters are interested in combating evil on a societal level, then it is self-defeating to vote for such a promoter of idolatry as Mitt Romney.

Indeed, is not idolatry foundational to all sin? In the Garden of Eden, idolatry was the Satanic temptation that lead to the Fall (namely, the temptation to “be like God” [Genesis 3:5]). (This Satanic temptation is foundational to Mormonism, as Mormons believe they will literally become gods someday.) 

In Romans 1, we see the progression from idolatry to all other kinds of sins – including the sin of murder, which entails the sin of abortion itself. Idolatry undermines the fear of God, and undermining the fear of God destroys the foundation for loving one's neighbor – including one's neighbor in the womb.

Thus from a societal standpoint, one would think that stamping out idolatry in its outward manifestation would be among a civil ruler’s highest priorities. And in fact this was exactly the view of the godly kings of Judah (who are examples for righteous rulers) – not to mention Protestant rulers during the Reformation.

But Romney, instead of wanting to purge the land of the outward manifestation of the root of evil (namely, idolatry), wants to instead propagate it via Mormonism. And as we showed in our previous post, Romney appears to already be legitimizing and popularizing Mormonism on an unprecedented scale. 

This is not a formula for national reform, but a recipe for national destruction. Public idolatry is opposed to a biblical social order (cf. Deuteronomy 13); it is a snare (Exodus 34:11-16; Psalm 106:36). Remember the Romans 1 progression: idolatry leads to the moral burning out of man, and on a societal level, the moral burning out of society. This, again, entails the sin of abortion, and so supporting Romney is support for idolatry, which in turn is support for abortion. 

We realize the unfortunate reality that many professing Christians will probably still support Romney, despite his Mormonism and propagation of it. This is symptomatic of the aversion to the 1^st table of the law in our times. Vincent Cheung writes about many professing Christians who

are horrified by accounts of serial murder and child molestation, but relatively nonchalant when it comes to non-Christian religions and philosophies. They are greatly distressed over acts of racism and fraud, and some even weep over deaths caused by diseases and accidents as reported by the news, but they display no such reaction when someone introduces himself as a Mormon, when someone announces that she will marry a Muslim, or when someone uses the name of God with irreverence. Their morality is man-centered instead of God-centered, but biblical morality is centered on God, with right worship toward God as the foundation and prerequisite for right treatment toward man. Of course, many people care for neither God nor man.[1]

Not only does Mormonism promote idolatry, and is thus a pagan religion, but it is worse than the typical pagan religion. Why? Because Mormonism pretends to be Christian. Remember the warning in Scripture:

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15)

One of Mormonism's goals is to infiltrate the Christian community and lead souls astray with its false gospel that leads people to hell. And since everlasting torment of body and soul in hell is worse than the temporary death of the body that results from murder (such as in abortion), then false gospels are worse than abortion; spiritual murder is worse than physical murder. Thus from this standpoint as well, Mormonism is worse than abortion. 

Just imagine the sales-pitch Mormon missionaries can use to infiltrate and gain credibility with households if Romney is elected: "Greetings – we'd like to tell you about our religion, which is the same as the president of the United States!"

And so Christians who support Romney must think very carefully about the ramifications of their support. It is unavoidable that support for Romney is also support for the propagation of idolatry and a false gospel. The trajectory: national suicide and eternal hellfire; the abortion of society and soul. 

For the basic beliefs of Mormonism, see Mormonism 101 by Kevin DeYoung

Notes

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[1] Vincent Cheung, Presuppositional Confrontations (Boston, MA: Vincent Cheung, 2010), 17.