Back in September, I posted this piece which now seems timely in light of the flap that Bruce Wilson has been reporting, over the anti-Mormon material posted on the web site of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Old time religious animosities die hard, and what's more, are right out in the open for those with eyes to see them and the knowledge to know what it means. -- FC

Everyone knows that the historic animosity towards Mormonism among conservative evangelicals is a political problem for Mitt Romney.  How much of a problem it will be, of course, remains to be seen -- but it looks formidable.  

First there is the widespread and profoundly taught view in Southern Baptist and conservative Reformed Presbyterian churches, among others, that Mormons are a dangerous heresy at best, and certainly not Christian. The Mormons are also viewed as competitors in the battle to win souls, which makes electing a Mormon as president, a grave concern. They worry that Mormonism is the fastest growing faith in half of the states.  There is, therefore, an organized effort to "educate" conservative Christians about their Mormon problem.

The situation in Kountze, Texas, home of a band of public school cheerleaders brandishing Bible-verse banners, is rapidly deteriorating. Loud-mouthed politicians who hate church-state separation have just lumbered into the fray. Things can only go downhill from here.

If you're just joining us, the fight in Kountze - a small town north of Beaumont - focuses on large paper banners that cheerleaders unfurl before high school football games. Such banners normally bear a game-related message, something like "Go Lions! Crush the Wildcats" or whatever, and football players crash through them as they take the field.

[note: for related background, see Talk To Action Cofounder Frederick Clarkson's Mormonism & Schism on the Christian Right and also my essay, Romney's in a Cult and Ryan's a Satanist? The GOP's 2012 Religion Woes ]

"A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader." -- from The Free Dictionary definition of the term "cult"

" "cult" is how many evangelical Christians define Mormonism. Not surprisingly, "cult" is a four-letter word (in both senses) in Mormon circles." -- from The Rise of Mormonism, Rodney Stark and Reid L. Neilson, Columbia University Press, 2005

As Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics told the Boston Globe, for an October 13, 2012 story, "Romney is counting on evangelicals. The irony is that this is a shotgun marriage between two very different religions but they are completely dependent upon one another for victory."

But even before that Boston Globe story hit the press, an emerging public relations debacle of the first order was undermining consummation of the "shotgun marriage" and now, with only three weeks before the 2012 presidential election, millions of Americans are confronted by news stories with headlines that feature the terms "Mormon" and "cult".

Back in 2011 a series of attacks from leading conservative evangelicals darkly warned that Ayn Rand devotees, Paul Ryan included, might be worshiping at the altar of crypto-satanism. Now, within the last 24 hours, a flurry of mainstream media articles cover a controversy erupting after evangelism superstar Billy Graham prayed with (and in effect endorsed) candidate Mitt Romney and observers noticed that an article on the website of Graham's flagship Billy Graham Evangelistic Association identified Mormonism as a "cult".

Next week, Mikey Weinstein, the founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), will be attending the 35th reunion of his class at the Air Force Academy. Apparently, some of his "Spirit-filled born again Christian" classmates have a problem with this, threatening imprecatory prayers to put the Psalm 109 whammy on him if he shows up.

After Billy Graham prayed with, and effectively endorsed, Mitt Romney it was pointed out that the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website had an article which openly called Mormonism a "cult'. So, the BGEA scrubbed the offending article - but it missed another that identified Mormons as non-Christians, and that wasn't the end of the anti-Mormon animosity - which appears to be built right into the coding of the BGEA website (I'll get to that in a moment.)

On Tuesday April 21, 2009, Minnesota Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was granted 5 minutes by the House Speaker pro tempore, and proceeded to emit a short pious speech on behalf of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, that included the following history lie, which was then duly entered into the Congressional Record:

My son started high school in August, and I was glad that he has a tight circle of friends who went with him. They are helping one another navigate what can be a challenging transition for teenagers.

I want my son to appreciate his pals, some of whom he has known since elementary school, but I also want him to keep the door open to making new friends. I can't speak for everyone, but I know that in my case, I forged friendships in high school that are still going strong more than 30 years later.

[update: as I explain in a new story, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website itself appears hard-coded to identify Mormons as members of a cult]

"We heard from Christians who were once Mormons" -- from the subtitle of an article published May 2008, in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association magazine Decision

Are Mormons Christians? According to a 2008 article in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's Decision magazine, authored by the CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention's publishing wing LifeWay Resources, the answer would seem to be "no".

This new revelation of high-profile evangelical anti-Mormon animosity comes immediately in the wake of an embarrassing discovery, by a gay rights group, that the website of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has also branded Mormonism a "cult".  

Voters in four states will cast ballots on marriage equality next month, among them my adopted home of Maryland. Polls show that the Maryland measure, which allows same-sex couples to wed, just might pass.

Religious Right groups, of course, are doing all they can to ensure that doesn't happen. They're mustering all of the arguments we've heard before: Same-sex marriage will somehow harm families, it's condemned by the Bible, it will lead to people marrying bicycles, etc.

"My political leanings are far to the right....
Attila the Hun was too liberal for me."
--Sheldon Adelson, 2010

If you've been paying any attention to Election 2012, you have undoubtedly become familiar with Sheldon Adelson. The casino magnate and Republican Party benefactor - worth $20.5 billion according to Forbes magazine - is fully committed to defeating President Barack Obama, and to that end has pledged to spend as much as $100 million.

Beyond Adelson's anti-Obama advocacy lies two greater causes; un-wavering support for right wing Israeli politicians and organizations; and, urging the US government to take more muscular action against Iran.

In addition to dumping boatloads of money into Republican Party war chests, Adelson has almost single-handedly destroyed what has historically been a pretty vigorous newspaper culture in Israel.

As many of you know, on Sunday more than 1,000 pastors nationwide took part in "Pulpit Freedom Sunday," an annual event sponsored by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) to encourage clergy to openly violate federal law by endorsing or opposing candidates.

AU staffers spent the holiday weekend fielding media calls about this. The Rev. Steven Baines, AU's assistant field director for religious outreach, talked to several reporters.