Anonymous Coward User ID: 2724448 United States 03/10/2012 09:05 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President A few years back, a hive of hornets decided to make its nest on top of a second-story swamp cooler outside my cousin’s Boston-area home. My cousin made an ill-fated attempt to remove the hornets, which resulted in a two-story fall and a broken arm. “This looks like a job for your home teacher,” said my cousin’s home teacher. The home teacher brought over his own ladder and clothed himself in homemade beekeeping gear. He then made his way to the hornet’s nest and gathered the whole thing up in a garbage bag, avoiding any stings or the more severe injuries that had beset my cousin. He did this with no public fanfare, no accolades, and no thought of collecting payment for his efforts.
And who was this noble home teacher? A man by the name of Mitt Romney. Now, unless you’re familiar with Mormon lingo, you probably got lost when I introduced the phrase “home teacher,” or you may have conjured up images of some kind of private educational tutor who was taking care of my cousin’s kids. That would have left you wondering why a tutor thought it was their responsibility to wrangle hornets. But if you’re a Mormon, the phrase made perfect sense, as did the rest of the story. You would know that every month, every member of a Mormon congregation receives a visit from two “home teachers,” who share an inspirational message but, more importantly, are charged with the responsibility of looking out for the family’s welfare. So if a family is struggling, the home teachers are the spiritual “first responders,” and a good home teacher jumps at any opportunity to be of service. Among other things, Mitt Romney is a good home teacher. People who look to Mitt’s faith for clues about how he’d govern as president usually miss the target by a wide margin. They rip the more obscure elements of Mormon doctrine out of their theological and historical contexts – polygamy or underwear or planetary real estate – and think they’ve discovered or explained something. They haven’t. The world at large, as it focuses on unusual theoretical elements of Mormon doctrine, all but ignores the eminently practical aspects of Mormonism as it is manifest in each Mormon’s daily life. Consider the fact that “home teachers” receive no compensation for what they do. In fact, neither does anyone else in a Mormon congregation. The whole enterprise is supervised by a lay clergy that will often work over forty hours a week in their unpaid positions in addition to their “real” jobs – you know, the ones that actually earn them money. Mitt Romney has spent his entire adult life in these kinds of high-responsibility, time-intensive positions. He has been both a bishop – a leader of a “ward” that consists of a congregation of about 500 people – and a stake president, who oversees a “stake” which consist of about six or so wards, giving him ecclesiastical responsibility for thousands of people. So what does this mean? What, precisely, does a bishop or a stake president do that eats up so much of their time? Go to a Mormon meeting on any given Sunday, and you’ll see three dudes sitting up by the pulpit. The guy in the middle is the bishop, and he’s already spent most of the day in meetings where he reviewed the ward’s staffing needs and organizing relief efforts for families who may be struggling with health, financial, or spiritual issues. He’s also been meeting one-on-one with members of the church who look to him for counsel and support for personal problems that would turn your hair white. Usually, he’s been doing all this since before the sun came up, so don’t be surprised if he nods off while the meeting progresses. Please keep in mind, too, that there are no elections for bishops and stake presidents, nor are there re-elections. Each leader is “called” to serve, and they accept the responsibility dutifully, no questions asked. They then serve for a period of time, usually between five and ten years, after which they are “released,” meaning they rejoin their congregations as lay members and have no more responsibility than anyone else. The call to serve can come to any priesthood holder in good standing, but it usually comes to a certain personality type. Remember, bishops and stake presidents are confronted with massive organizational challenges accompanied by the most intimate, personal, spiritual struggles imaginable. So they must lead without being authoritarian; they must judge without being judgmental, and they must minister without offending. That means the people who get this assignment are often more even-tempered than exciting, more reassuring than revolutionary, and more competent than colorful. Sound like any particular presidential candidate you might know? Those who remain baffled by Romney’s cool public persona have not spent a whole lot of time with an LDS stake president, a role for which Romney provides the quintessential example. If one truly understands his background, one shouldn’t expect a President Romney to dazzle the masses with rhetorical virtuosity. One should instead expect him to practically and quietly remove the hornet’s nest from the nation’s second-story swamp cooler. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 12200227 United States 03/10/2012 09:06 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President Mitt had 4 big wins today!! |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 10710120 United States 03/10/2012 09:10 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President Mitt had 4 big wins today!! Quoting: Anonymous Coward 12200227 Which Mitt Romney did you vote for in the Primary? |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 2724448 United States 03/10/2012 09:10 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President That's good news...if RP can't win, then I hope it is Mitt |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 12200227 United States 03/10/2012 09:19 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President
Mitt had 4 big wins today!! Quoting: Anonymous Coward 12200227 Which Mitt Romney did you vote for in the Primary? Quoting: Anonymous Coward 10710120 The Mitt Romney that is a great family man, a great business man and the one that is locking down the GOP nomination. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 1235825 United States 03/10/2012 09:20 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President These are the kinds of stories he needs in the press. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 1374649 United States 03/10/2012 09:24 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President any man that is pro abortion AND agreed with under 18 age girls able to get abortions without parental consent by seeing a judge IS NOT MORMON
how any mormon can be so stupidly ignorant of these two facts that MITT ROMNEY did in order to get elected in Mass.
is an idiot and wears blinders ...
but then again, the avg mormon wears dark rose colored glasses anyway!
Mormons know less about their church history than Catholics! |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 1226071 Australia 03/10/2012 09:24 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President Mitt had 4 big wins today!! Quoting: Anonymous Coward 12200227 Which Mitt Romney did you vote for in the Primary? Quoting: Anonymous Coward 10710120 LMFAO...... |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 12295119 Australia 03/10/2012 09:24 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President
These are the kinds of stories he needs in the press.
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 1235825 These are the kinds of stories he needs in the press.
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 1235825 the majic underwear ones are better |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 1374649 United States 03/10/2012 09:27 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President and one more thing that amazes me.
anyone with any ability to judge character can visibly see that this man is plastic as they come.
you say he is a good home teacher? LOL. so what! I know alot of 'good hometeachers' that do a good job BECAUSE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO.
ROMNEY IS PLASTIC AS THEY COME!
A SMOOTH FACED HYPOCRITE JUST LIKE JOSEPH SMITH TALKED ABOUT AND DESPISED. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 3702145 United States 03/10/2012 09:29 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President Mitt had 4 big wins today!! Quoting: Anonymous Coward 12200227 Which Mitt Romney did you vote for in the Primary? Quoting: Anonymous Coward 10710120 The Mitt Romney that is a great family man, a great business man and the one that is locking down the GOP nomination. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 12200227 You mean the warmongering NDAA supporter? Yep, that's him all right! |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 2724448 United States 03/10/2012 10:01 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President I have known Mitt and Ann from the last election (I was one of the 2 pilots flying him around the campaign trail). He is an extremely smart guy.
I think he did what he had to do under the circumstances to get elected in Mass but I think he resents his positions... |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 2724448 United States 03/11/2012 09:55 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 1531113 United States 03/11/2012 10:00 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President I have known Mitt and Ann from the last election (I was one of the 2 pilots flying him around the campaign trail). He is an extremely smart guy.
I think he did what he had to do under the circumstances to get elected in Mass but I think he resents his positions...
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 2724448 "Did what he had to do under the circumstances to get elected." That sums up Mitt Romney right there. He will do and say anything to get elected. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 7280888 United States 03/11/2012 10:11 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President mitten free please ! |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 2763122 United States 03/11/2012 10:26 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President LDS-lot of dumb shit's |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 12200227 United States 03/11/2012 02:33 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President
I have known Mitt and Ann from the last election (I was one of the 2 pilots flying him around the campaign trail). He is an extremely smart guy.
I think he did what he had to do under the circumstances to get elected in Mass but I think he resents his positions...
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 2724448 |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 12200227 United States 03/11/2012 02:34 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President Mitt had 4 big wins today!! Quoting: Anonymous Coward 12200227 Which Mitt Romney did you vote for in the Primary? Quoting: Anonymous Coward 10710120 The Mitt Romney that is a great family man, a great business man and the one that is locking down the GOP nomination. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 12200227 |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 6598681 United Kingdom 03/11/2012 02:39 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President and one more thing that amazes me.
anyone with any ability to judge character can visibly see that this man is plastic as they come.
you say he is a good home teacher? LOL. so what! I know alot of 'good hometeachers' that do a good job BECAUSE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO.
ROMNEY IS PLASTIC AS THEY COME!
A SMOOTH FACED HYPOCRITE JUST LIKE JOSEPH SMITH TALKED ABOUT AND DESPISED.
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 1374649 I totally agree with this - how can ANYBODY not see that Romney is a phoney, a scumbag? It's written all over his face. |
pigshark User ID: 1518596 United States 03/11/2012 02:41 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President Nice people, but it's still a cult! |
Ocean Power
User ID: 9483679 Northern Mariana Islands 03/12/2012 04:40 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 12360009 United States 03/12/2012 04:58 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President I have known Mitt and Ann from the last election (I was one of the 2 pilots flying him around the campaign trail). He is an extremely smart guy.
I think he did what he had to do under the circumstances to get elected in Mass but I think he resents his positions...
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 2724448 Hmmmm.....another GLPer said he partied hard with Romney's sons in New Hampshire. All I know is I ain't voting for him! |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 12343289 United States 03/12/2012 12:27 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: Mitt Romney...The Nation's Stake President Mitt Romney sounds seems to have a very strong business background. He has also run a very good campaign this time. He has all but locked up the GOP nomination.
The general election will be interesting. |