Mitt Romney's Success And Mormonism



Do you want to know the secret of how to illuminate how insane religion is?
Just look at the facts.
In our superstitious (ie religious) culture the sanctity of religion conceals the absurdities of faith. The doctrines of fairy tales and immoral behavior are clothed in respect. It is the person which points out that the Emperor has no clothes who is upsetting the applecart, and not the supporters of the regal faith-based fashion who are stigmatized by the herd. The religious often times has an air of arrogance based on this maladaptive societal protection they enjoy.  And that arrogance leads them to reveal how mad the so-called wise men really are.


Take David Brooks piece in the New York Times The Wealth Issue. In it he argues that Mitt Romney's personality was shaped by his family's history of dogged work ethic rather than wealth.

Mitt Romney is a rich man, but is Mitt Romney’s character formed by his wealth? Is Romney a spoiled, cosseted character? Has he been corrupted by ease and luxury?

The notion is preposterous. All his life, Romney has been a worker and a grinder. He earned two degrees at Harvard simultaneously (in law and business). He built a business. He’s persevered year after year, amid defeat after defeat, to build a political career.

Although this is election season, and it's in vogue to only demonize candidates who one isn't going to vote for, I agree with David Brooks: Romney isn't some punk who hasn't put the work in. The article continues stating the principle that one's success is often times the result of the work one's ancestors have done. I also agree with that. Both my wife and I are the first people in our respective families to hold four year college degrees. As a direct result of the two of us being educated, our young children, Will and Ali, even now carry with them our expectations that they too will go to college, and probably enjoy a margin of material success.

However, Mr. Brooks in the search to confirm his own pro-religion bias attempts to meld  Mormonism with Mitt's drive to succeed. And here is where any sane person sees how generations of Mitt's ancestors were abused by the faith.

• Mitt's great-grandfather, Miles, married his wife, Hannah, and a month later Brigham Young commanded  (yes, Brooks uses the word to describe the relationship between the Mormon despot, Young, and his adherent) him to go to Britain for missionary work. Hannah works at doing other people's laundry while he is gone.
• Miles returned and was commanded by Brigham Young to take another wife.
• The family was then commanded to move into a new settlement 300 miles south of Salt Lake City. 
• After the move, Miles was commanded to move to Arizona.
• Brigham Young was still not satisfied with the family's location commanded them move to Mexico.
• After Mitt's dad was born in Mexico,  the revolution forced them back to the States where the family made its money.

Oh, the Romney's have been molded by Mormonism, alright.

Just like an abused kid has been sculpted by abusive parents.

The argument that Mitt's ancestors benefited by Brigham Young's abuse and achieved material success because of the commands is dubious to say the least. I would counter that Mitt's ancestors succeeded despite Mormonism. Religion has a way of turning people who are naturally gifted and motivated into automatons where those abilities are squandered.

But you know this.

This is Purgatory.