Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Post-Election Doomsday Predictions


I for one am neither surprised nor the slightest bit dismayed by my political antithesis's re-election. We know what leads to the final 'passing of the torch' and this just hastens the day and solidifies the resolve and preparation of those who are already well entrenched.


It is completely disenchanting to hear so many people of the same faith in me post such hateful, extremist, end of the world, life, liberty and happiness comments. If you are a true follower of Christ and of the LDS faith you should have hope in your own life-knowing that YOU determine your own happiness. Civility and compromise are qualities that we should all exemplify.



These quotes showed up in my Facebook feed this morning – both of the authors are Mormons that I grew up with. Post-election day is always a let-down; people win and people lose. Some people are happy, some people are sad, some people get angry. This particular election was historic; Mitt Romney was the first Mormon presidential candidate of a major political party. Romney’s candidacy sparked an interest in Mormonism that I have never seen before; this election season has been a roller coaster of emotions, as I have watched the media cover the issues that had such a profound impact on my life.

As a child, I sat through many lessons about the Second Coming of Christ. One teacher taught us that two missionaries would be shot in Jerusalem and that their bodies would lie in the streets for the period of three days. Another teacher told me that the Saints would gather in Missouri and that there would be a period of intense natural disasters. Families were commanded to store a year’s supply of food, in preparation for hard times and famine. After the Second Coming, after all of the chaos and terror, we were taught that Christ would usher in the Millennium, which would be a thousand-year period of peace and prosperity, when Mormonism would spread throughout the world. The Second Coming of Christ is a strong belief within Mormonism; a video that went viral last week indicates that even Romney believes in the predictions surrounding the Second Coming.  The leaders never made predictions as to when the Second Coming would take place but we were warned to always be ready, as it could happen at any moment.

Growing up, my father would say that “one day the Constitution will be hanging by a thread and the leaders of this country will look to the Mormon leaders to save it.” This statement, purportedly made by the founder of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith, is commonly referred to as the White Horse Prophecy. I am not sure how many Mormons still ascribe to this prophecy. After Romney’s loss, a quick glance through the ex-mormon discussion boards indicates that more Mormons believe this prophecy than I realized. Many ex-mormons have reported the doomsday predictions of their Mormon relatives. Glenn Beck appears to believe in the White Horse prophecy, although I have always considered Glenn Beck to be a more extreme example of Mormonism. Nevertheless, there is a doomsday attitude that goes deeper than just the sorrow and fear associated with a candidate’s loss; I find myself wondering how many Mormons view this as a sign of the Second Coming.

9 comments:

  1. My LDS mother and stepfather are some such that ascribe world-ending powers to Barack Obama's presidency. Lots of doomsday emails in the past few years.

    This race was a strange experience for me; people I know consistently asked for my opinion on things regarding Romney--whether he would be controlled by the church if elected, if he is a "good Mormon," etc. If he had won, it certainly would have provided four years' worth of blogging fodder! As it is, I'm glad that a bright light was shone on the church. Perhaps if it truly enters the mainstream, various aspects of its culture (and maybe even the doctrine) will begin to change.

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  2. Four years will pass and the economy and way of life will most likely improve. Then what are all the naysayers and doomsday predictors to do?

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    1. I dont know' Maybe point out that the House of Represenitives (which is nominally in charge of the economy) was under Demorcatic control durring the Bush crash and the Obama recession, and thing turned around durring the mid term elections after the republicans regained control of the House chamber in 2010? And gained even more House seats in 2012?

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  3. I touched on this in my post-election Mormon Moments thoughts. I don't think that interest and questions about the church are going away. This will mean more people willing to talk to the missionaries, but it will also mean that the LDS church won't be able to hide much of what it does. I don't think the spotlight is going away anytime soon.

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  4. I remember also hearing a lot about "the Constitution hanging by a thread" -- usually because a Democrat had been elected. But the idea of an LDS candidate being defeated by a black man (descendent of Cain) has to be terrifying to so many of the "faithful." Imagine if a woman wins next time around...

    Those links you posted are scary!

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    1. For the record, regardless of what your church teaches, Black people are not the descendants of Cain. Also, for the record, the president is half white and half black.

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    2. Just to clarify, Donna is also a former Mormon.

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  5. I dont have any doomsaday prophecy for Obamas presidency.

    But I do wonder, four, eight, twelve, or sixteen years from now when a republican gets into the White House, will liberals and democrats suddenly,(FINALLY?!?) find the notion that the president can arrest, detain, and kill american citizens without trail, evidence, or any judicial or congressional oversight appaling.

    Cause I got to say that the fact that none of you seem to care right now is fairly disturbing.

    The constituion may not be hanging by a thread, but it is being ignored, and the bill of rights has basically been raped and murdered

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    1. I find it disturbing that ANYONE can be arrested, detained, and killed without trail, evidence, or any judicial or congressional oversight.

      I found it disturbing when it was happening under GW Bush, and now when it's happening under Barack Obama. The unfortunate fact is that administration moved the Overton window, and it has yet to move back.

      One thing Mitt Romney probably never flip-flopped on during his interminable run for president was that these policies would continue. On Planet Earth, he was the other choice. With our current electoral system, electing a third-party candidate is well-nigh impossible.

      So yes, I'm disturbed and will do everything I can to make sure these policies are discontinued. I'm also celebrating because there were other human rights issues involved -- and those are relatively safe for the moment.

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