Nauvoo\u2019s \u201cRed Brick Store\u201d in roughly 1842. In the upper room of this building, since destroyed but now reconstructed, Joseph Smith launched his presidential candidacy \u2014 among other deeply significant things.
(Wikimedia CC, public domain; click to enlarge.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had to find just the right blade of grass to stand on, and then to remain absolutely motionless, in order to do an interview with KSL Radio\u2019s Doug Wright yesterday on the continuing uproar about Ben Carson\u2019s remark that a Muslim shouldn\u2019t serve as president of the United States.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m frankly appalled that at least a few Latter-day Saints \u2014 and so closely following Mitt Romney\u2019s candidacy! \u2014 seem to favor a religious litmus test for full participation in American political life.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s one thing to vote against a candidate because his or her principles are inconsistent with one\u2019s own. \u00a0That\u2019s the right and even the duty of a citizen in a Democratic Republic. \u00a0But to declare in advance that an entire religious group ought to be ineligible for public office? \u00a0That\u2019s a different matter altogether. \u00a0Some, though \u2014 including perhaps some Latter-day Saints \u2014 appear to have come perilously close to the latter position, if they haven\u2019t altogether expressly adopted it.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sitting right now in the city from which General Joseph Smith launched his presidential bid in the election of 1844. \u00a0Yesterday, I spoke for a few minutes in the reconstructed room where his campaign was planned.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joseph\u00a0was seeking to advance and defend the rights of the Latter-day Saints, but he also declared himself for the religious freedom of all. \u00a0It was an issue that meant a very great deal to him.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I have little doubt what he would have to say on this matter, today. \u00a0I hope I said something like it myself on KSL, yesterday.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Posted from Nauvoo, Illinois<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 I had to find just the right blade of grass to stand on, and then to remain absolutely motionless, in order to do an interview with KSL Radio\u2019s Doug Wright yesterday on the continuing uproar about Ben Carson\u2019s remark that a Muslim shouldn\u2019t serve as president of the United States. \u00a0 I\u2019m frankly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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