As Kagro X pointed out many people may have been legitimately expecting for answers about the Mormon faith from Romney. Genuinely curious about a seemingly obscure faith.
As a former Mormon (practiced for 12 years), I'm quite open to answering any of these questions anyone may have. By way of exposition and so I can sate this nagging desire to vomit any trace of Romney's speech out of my memory, I'll explain a little about my personal history and interaction with religion as well as my personal viewpoints and take on Romney's outright religious bigotry.
Please do not take any of this as preaching one way or the other, presently I would label myself atheist. That does not mean I look down on anyone of any faith, quite the contrary. Feel free to skip any section and get right to any questions you may have by posting comments. I'll try to answer as much as I can.
First of all it's important for me to point out I was born into a Mormon Family. Two parents, five siblings, typical by most Mormon standards. I'm 23 now and stopped practicing at the age of 20.
Like most teenagers I was skeptical of what my parents presented me but eventually decided I would try to honor them as best I could by pursuing the belief structure they had set before me. This at the end of my senior year in high school (although I admit it was influenced largely by an attractive girl I was dating at the time). I set out for Brigham Young University in Provo Utah and spent the summer after my high school graduation and the following year there before returning home.
After my return home, I like most young Mormon men aged 19-25, was preparing to leave on a two year "mission" (which constitutes of proselyting in an area somewhere around the world which you are "called" to by church leadership). I was called to Florida and shortly before I was due to leave I got into disagreements about matters of principle and philosophy with respect to the church and it's policies. I decided not to go, and have since been estranged from the church.
My personal philosophy now is that if there is a Creator, he/she doesn't really care about all of the small things religion purports that God cares about. Further, I doubt any divine being has a hand in our daily lives. It wouldn't change the way I live either way.
As to Romney's speech, I think it was a thinly veiled attempt to homogenize in the minds of the American People religion in freedom. Much in the same way the Bush Administration melded questioning Bush or Iraq with hating America, freedom, or aiding terrorism. His words have no place in American Politics and seek only to cloud the bold line our Constitution draws between church and state and excuse "moral legislation" (such as restrictions on homosexual marriage and abortion).
Mormon FAQ
This is a brief list from memory of the most frequent questions I have ever received about Mormonism. While I no longer believe in it or support the LDS church in any way, I still take it upon myself to educate people who ask about it. Information is power!
What's with the Temples fancy buildings nobody else can go in?
These buildings are called "Temples" and are held sacred to Mormons. They are essentially, very important church buildings that are only used for certain rituals. You can identify these buildings by the gold-colored (often actually gold but more commonly now brass I believe) Moroni blowing a Trumpet. Moroni is one of Mormonism's most significant Prophets, credited with abridging the Golden Plates which would later become the Book of Mormon. These include Marriages (or "Temple sealings"), Baptisms for the Dead (Proxy baptism for people who died before being baptized into the Mormon church), Endowments (ritual reserved for Mormons 18 and older wherein you receive a closer relationship with God and the privilege to enter the temple which also leads to the "Fancy Underwear" to be mentioned later), and "Temple sealings" for the dead. A lot of the "for the dead" stuff might strike many of you as odd, but Mormons have very strong ties to their ancestors as evidenced by a seeming obsession with genealogical work.
What's with the "Fancy Underwear"?
This is a special underwear Mormons over 18 who have been through their endowment ceremonies wear. It is sacred to them and symbolizes their commitment to chastity and fidelity, among other things. I don't believe the church approves of discussing it publicly much so to avoid offending, that's all I will say. There's nothing terribly mystical about it.
What's the "Priesthood"?
This is the term Mormons give to what they believe is sacred authority from God. There are essentially two levels of the priesthood and from the age of 12 men in the church will carry one or both. This authority is employed in all of their sacred rituals and rites.
Okay that's all I can think of off the top of my head. Any others you have please feel free to post in comments below and I will try to answer them by way of updating this diary.
UPDATE 1:
Role of Women???
Women are highly respected in Mormon society, certainly no overt subjugation. However as you may have guessed from the above, they are not allowed to hold the priesthood nor are they allowed to occupy significant offices in the church authority structure. Largely, they are compensated by being told they get to bear children, and spend their time raising those. As well as such trite and ultimately empty phrases as "the man may be the head of the family but the woman is the neck! He only goes where she turns him!" Ultimately, it's a male-dominated culture.
Suicide rate among GLBTI Mormon teens?
I can't speak to any exact statistics but there is one number that is played around with in Mormon culture. 2%. It is supposedly the amount of Mormon missionaries who go out on their 2 year commitment and then find they are GLBTI and come home. Many people try to reconcile their sexuality with the church, which is outright rejected (though not overtly hated or persecuted). Mormons believe Homosexuality or any non-heterosexual orientation is against God's will and can be changed.
How strong is the hierarch?
Very. Edicts from any of the top Church officials are given the weight of the word of God. This is especially true of statements made by the Prophet. Essentially, if he went up to any devout church member and asked them to sell everything they own and move to Indonesia, they would.
Update 2:
Years back, I recall that Joseph Smith found copper tablets in upstate New York with messages written on them. When did the Mormons change them into gold tablets?
As far as I know, they were always "Gold" plates. it's the way that it was recorded in all of the writings I've seen. It's possible at some point the metal was changed. But I'm relatively certain they've always been Gold Plates. They were supposed to have been found in Palmyra, New York.
Do you have a good link to a summary of the story of the Book of Mormon, like a kids version, that would be considered authoritative and not anti-Mormon?
I do not have one on hand. I would write you one here but it is quite long and in-depth and I may be a little rusty. They may have something for you at www.lds.org though if you look around a little.
What happens in heaven?
According to Mormons, heaven is on a 4-tiered system. However, first there is a waiting period called "Spirit Prison" wherein the spirits of the dead await the second coming where they will be reunited with their bodies and have the opportunity to move on to one of the 4 tiers of heaven. In this time, any non-Mormons are given the opportunity to learn of Mormonism and given a chance to accept its principles, according to the church.
After the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ, supposedly all spirits are reunited with their bodies in a perfect state. From there they are assigned to 1 of 4 tiers of heaven.
1.) Celestial: The highest tier where you get to actually be with God and as stated, become A god with your spouse (The woman is not cast aside, supposedly they are united in some way, though there is a deference to male authority/superiority).
2.) Terrestrial: The middle tier, Christ is supposedly here as well as in the #1 spot. Don't get to become gods, some form of eternal bliss awaits however (As you may have guessed from the name this is supposedly earth-like).
3.) Telestial: Not as great, sub-earth standards. But still, some form of eternal existence. Supposedly, even criminals can make it into this one.
4.) "Outer Darkness: You cease to exist in any form. Supposedly this is Hell, reserved for the lowest of the low! It'd be quite challenging to make it into here from what I was ever taught.
So what gives, are the roles of females really that restricted in todays society?
Ultimately, Mormon culture pressures women into this type of role. I know my own mother has felt these pressures but her whole life has remained a working professional even in spite of having six children. So while it is possible for Mormon women to break the mold and have a career, it is not the norm. Women are gently encouraged to stay home with their children and focus on manufacturing more.
So: where are those Tablets, anyway?
Supposedly, God took them back after Joseph Smith was finished translating them. Mormons find this an offensive mockery of their faith. Though I'm surprised you were tossed out of the tabernacle! Hardly "Christ-like" behavior.
Why were they taken back when they could prove the religion isn't just a fake thing cooked up by Joseph Smith?
The same reason God won't show Himself in the flesh: it defeats faith in some cases and honestly, even if you saw golden plates, would you believe they were the real deal? I wouldn't. Faith is ultimately a personal thing which requires deep introspection and a dedicated commitment to a belief. Mormons hold faith to be a great virtue.
What is the Mormon attitude towards homosexuality?
As stated above, Mormons believe Homosexuality is not in accordance with God's will. However, the majority of them in my personal experience do not actively protest against homosexuality nor do they openly express hate towards GLBTI people. I can remember sitting in General Conference and being told to love everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation. As with any cross-section of the population, there are bad apples. It's possible in the instance cited in the comments, the people in question were struggling with their own sexual identity, or else it hit close to home. As a group, they do not support Same Sex Marriage however.
Please talk a about the secret Doctrine regarding God being a Space Alien and the afterlife promise of the faithful Mormon becoming a god of his own little planet.
I'm not aware of any secret doctrines. What is openly taught in Mormon churches now is that God has created other "Earths" in the sense that we are not alone in the universe. Further, as stated above, good and faithful Mormons will get to become "gods" themselves and supposedly create their own worlds.
Do you know the history of Mormons and Coke-Cola?
I have heard Mormons have a controlling interest in Coke but I have never been told not to drink Pepsi. They do discourage consumption of all caffeine, chocolate excluded.
Why do Mormons perform religious rites for the deceased?
They believe that people need to have these rites performed to have a chance to get into the highest tier of heaven. However, they believe the deceased will have the opportunity to choose to accept or reject the rites done in their name. Ultimately, their goal is to have it done for every human being who has ever lived that never had it done while alive.
UPDATE 3:
I read that if the gold tablets were the dimensions which Joseph Smith said they were, they would have weighed over 800 pounds. Yet when he found them, he carried them home?
That's the story. He found them buried under a rock on a hill in Palmyra, New York. If I remember correctly, the first time he found them he wasn't allowed to take them home and had to come back for them later. Supposedly they were pretty heavy, but he carried them around in a sack on his back.
Also the actual translation of the tablets to the Book of Mormon happened as Joseph Smith was on one side of a blanket stretched floor to ceiling and someone on the other side, wrote what he said and never saw the tablets. Any information about these thoughts?
This is true. He was wearing a set of essentially magic glasses that let him translate the words, these same glasses are talked about in the Book of Mormon itself. Supposedly he found them with the plates or they were given to him, I can't remember which off the top of my head. The only thing is the guy who did the writing for him DID see them at one point I believe tried to translate them himself, but couldn't. At the beginning of any copy of the Book of Mormon I believe there is a statement written by several people who say they saw the Golden Plates and testify to the verity of the book.