The president met with the prophet for the fourth time on Thursday. Please see this article for some interesting tidbits. I’m interested in two things:
1)Does anybody have any insights as to what the president and the prophet have discussed in the past?
2)Will a possible President Romney avoid meeting with the prophet to prevent claims of being unduly influenced by him? (I’m thinking of claims made in past U.S. history regarding a Catholic president being controlled by the Pope).
“A possible President Romney….”
Whoa, big guy, getting a bit ahead of yourself….That’s a bridge that need only be crossed when a Mormon gets one of the two major parties’ nominations–not exactly imminent, if you know what I mean.
As for what they talk about, I would guess that it mainly focuses on the Church’s humanitarian work, both in and outside of the United States. Possibly if an issue has arisen with missionaries in a foreign country, the Prophet might mention it, though these are issues that are usually first communicated to the U.S. senators from Utah. I don’t think Hinckley does any calling to repentence, though. Pity.
Topz, re: “a possible President Romney,” what’s the good of the Bloggernacle if we can’t speculate on stuff that is far, far away?
How often if ever did PH meet with Clinton? Once?
Just wondering.
Maybe bush called President Hinckley to repentance, given that bush belongs to a denomination which officially considers LDS-ism to be a non-christian cult?
I was interested to read the biography of David O. McKay regarding the relationship that developed between him and President Johnson.
Nick, President Bush describes himself as a member of the United Methodist Church. It would be accurate to call him kind of a non-denominational Billy Graham kind of Christian, and even the Methodists say he has more in common with the Southern Baptists than the Methodists. I am unaware that the Methodists call us a cult, although I know the Southern Baptists do. I’d be interested in seeing the citation for the Methodists calling us a non-Christian cult.
http://www.gc2000.org/pets/cal/TEXT/c0806.asp
I do not believe our Methodist brothers and sisters call us a cult, but regard us as far enough outside historic christianity that they do not accept our baptism (some of it may be “turnabout is fair play).
Romney’s chances are getting better every day. Allen says “macaca,” Rudy goes around in drag and allows Donald Trump to, um, kiss him.
Geoff, I will be happy to look for the citation later this evening. I last saw the statement during the 2004 campaign, so it’s been a while.
OK, speculate away, didn’t mean any offense.
Just sayin’—unlike other things that may (or may not) be far, far away in the future (2nd Coming, Millennium, exaltation, preaching of the Gospel in Iraq, etc.), this speculation just kind of has a decreased relevance, due to the fact that it may not in fact ever happen, whereas the others surely will. Thought it would be a more appropriate post if a Mormon got a nomination, that is all…
Wouldn’t it be sweet if the First Presidency totally testified to him about the Church, Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, etc.? In my heart of hearts I think that that’s really what the prophet should do when he meets with a major world leader, but somehow, I just can’t imagine it happening in reality.
re: 8 That video is a riot! Thanks for sharing it.
I’d vote for a drag Rudy over a real Hilary any day.
I’m just interested in the fact that the author either can’t count or doesn’t qualify the statement:
The article details *five* meetings.
1. Candidate in 2000
2. Hinckley at White House in 9/2001
3. Olympics
4. 2004 at the White House
5. This week
I’m in a picky mood today, sorry.
The author said four meetings “as President.” The first you list was as a candidate (and governor of Texas), not as president.
In re: to a person of high political authority being influenced by any president of the church….I wonder what people thought about Pres. Benson when he was Sec. of Agriculture, or Senator Hatch, or anybody like that.
This just goes to show that the Prophet follows Christ, who came not to heal the whole, as the whole needed no healing. Christ dined with publicans and mingled with known harlots.
Pres. Hinckley, as righteous as he is, doesn’t think it to far below him to mingle with the leader of our kakistocracy, and doesn’t condemn him.
From the official Methodist website;
I can’t find anything where they identify us as a cult, but they clearly do not see us as christians. They try to rationalize by saying that we separate ourselves.
Well, the Methodists do have a point, recent doctrinal equivocation on Larry King notwithstanding. What’s the problem with just acknowleding we’re very, very different to the point that it’s essentially a different religion? That’s just the truth, even though everyone confesses to following Jesus Christ. Joseph told us the faith had been lost from the earth and needed to be restored, right? Besides, if the Methodists (the uber ecumenists) refuse to acknowledge the Church as part of traditional Christianity, then it’s really time for Mormons to move on from these trying-to-be-accepted fantasies. Why not focus on strategic political alliances and put those liberals and homos back where they deserve, our of power! : )
MikeInWeho, blogging from Vegas this weekend. They have cool Deseret Industries ads on TV here. Sure there are plenty of people who need their help in this town.
(out of power)
Re: 1
Wow, you have painted Christ’s authorized prophet as a spineless hypocrit with little or no real righteousness.
Three years into this conflict, and world opinion has been proven right. This is an immoral war, and no matter how we try to rebuild the damage we wreaked on Iraq, world opinion has not changed a bit.
I don’t want to rehash the Iraq war, but to me what’s been demonstrated isn’t the morality of the war but the incompetence of the Bush administration. Two very different things even though a lot of people have conflated the two.
Can I please remind everybody yet once again that this thread is NOT about the war? Please do not make it about the war. Thanks.
Please delete my post 26.
Addrax, no need as long as we can get back on track. If I delete yours, I need to delete several others. Let’s just get back back to discussing the president’s visit to the prophet. Thanks.
#1, a 40 minute meeting does not sound like anything serious could be discussed. Seems like a “in the neighborhood, might as well stop by and say hi” type of visit.
#2, I have thought the same thing about if Romney is president; that the Prophet and Romney would keep their distance to avoid the appearance of evil.
addrax –
it’s toe the line, not tow the line.
Doesn’t anyone read George Orwell anymore?
😉
I think the smartest thing Romney can do is never appear with the Prophet, never visit Utah, never even mention the name Gordon B Hinckley. Mention Christ, God and religion as much as he wants, but don’t give off teh slightest wiff that there might be a person that he is beholden too.
On #2, I could see Romney and the prophet coming together in a natural disaster or a situation where it would be important in everyones eyes to leverage the Church to help out.
Prophets in the scriptures on more than one occasion counseled leaders on how to run their societies. Now whether they listened was up to them and I’m pretty sure when they didn’t listen disaster struck….so I for one would rather have my leader look to the Lord for guidance than anyone else and who better to counsel with than the Lord through prayer or to seek guidance through His designated mouthpiece. If Romney runs and wins I hope that he would counsel with the Lord through his own prayers and also through counsel with the Prophet and not get wrapped up in himself or his own agendas. I would hope the same for all leaders whether LDS or not. I believe if Romney wants to be successful in leading this country he will not let go of his beliefs and moral values and will not care about a back lash for his meeting with the President of the Church. The current President of the Church has been around for almost 100 yrs and in some capacity of leadership within the church for almost or more than half of those years. As a person he knows alot, he leads a church of millions and there is a lot to learn from him. I don’t know what was discussed between Bush and Hinckley but I would hope he (Bush) sought his guidance.