Newts, Politics and Religion

Red Spotted Newt

I haven't been paying that much attention to what is likely to be the most important political event of 2012 - the election of the next American President.

The present incumbent - Barack Obama - is in deep trouble by all accounts - his poll ratings are terrible and under normal circumstances he would be - what Americans often describe - as 'toast'.

But the are not normal circumstances - because the Republicans cannot seem to find a candidate of sufficient stature to blow down the Democrat-held White House.

And in America's two party sytem - Republicans v Democrats is the only game in town - unless some independent candidate - like Ross Perot or Ralph Nader - throws their hat into the ring. 

One thing that puzzles me about the race to become the Republican nominee is that one of the favourites - Mitt Romney - is said to have little chance of winning the ultimate prize because of his religion.

Because Mitt Romney is a Mormon - a member of the Church of the Latter Day Saints - just like The Osmond Family - whom older readers will recall from the 1970s and 80s.

Now as regular readers will know - I am not impressed by any religions - they all seem much the same to me - which are taken far too far by many believers.

So much so that they are often willing to impose their views and lifestyles - and so effectively their beliefs - on non-believers and people of other faiths.

But I can't see how the Mormons are any better - or worse - than other Christians or people who believe in the 'true' word of other prophets - who came to prominence after Christ.

Mohammed is one - who founded what is now known as the Islamic faith in the 7th century AD.

But Joseph Smith Jnr is another - with a variation on a well-worn theme - having been visited by God in 1830 (as you do) - who told him to set up a new Mormon church.

Apparently a few years later an angel also visited Joseph Smith Jnr - and led him to a hillside where indigenous American prophets had buried a book written on golden plates - which Smith then translated and published as the Book of Mormon.

All of which sounds suspicious - like a corny re-working of Moses and the Ten Commandments - if you ask me.

Now on the one hand I don't really care about all this - because I don't go in for religious mumbo jumbo.

But what I don't get is why Mitt Romney should be singled out as a 'loser' - for being a Mormon - when the beliefs of other candidates are equally loony.

I heard Newt Gingrich - one of the other Republican candidates on TV the other day - arguing for 'illegal' immigrants in America to be granted an amnesty - allowed to stay without fear of deportation.

Newt's support was conditional though - he demanded that such people had jobs, had been paying their taxes and stayed out of jail - which seemed fair enough.

Before adding that another test of 'good character' - was their membership of a local church - at which point I lost interest in what he had to say.

American politics is being slowly poisoned by religion - it seems to me.

But I will be watching attentively from now on to see if anyone sticks up for Mitt Romney - while sticking it to Newt Gingrich.