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grantcart

(53,061 posts)
Thu Feb 23, 2012, 03:37 PM Feb 2012

oh my Rubio is an 'apostate' Mormon, baptized and attended the Mormon Church for many years

Well this is just so delicious on so many levels.

Is he still a Mormon? Why did he leave?

But the most wonderful part is how Evangelical Freepers are going to need throat surgery to swallow this. Freeper land must be ready to explode.



http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/exclusive-marco-rubios-mormon-roots#HTWF2


In the compelling personal narrative that has helped propel Florida Senator Marco Rubio to national political stardom, one chapter has gone completely untold: Rubio spent his childhood as a faithful Mormon.

Rubio was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with his family at around the age of eight, and remained active in the faith for a number of years during his early youth, family members told BuzzFeed.


Rubio spokesman Alex Conant confirmed the story to BuzzFeed, and said Rubio returned to the Catholic church a few years later with his family, receiving his first communion on Christmas day in 1984 at the age of 13.

The revelation adds a new dimension to Rubio's already-nuanced religious history—and could complicate his political future at a time when many Republicans see him as the odds-on favorite for the 2012 vice presidential nod. Vice presidential candidates are traditionally chosen to provide ethnic and religious balance to a ticket. Mitt Romney's Mormonism and Rubio's Catholic faith would already mean the first two members of minority traditions on a Republican ticket in American history. Rubio's Mormon roots could further complicate that calculation.




Rubio wasn't just a kid that tagged along with the family, he was really into it according to family members:



The story of Rubio's conversion to Mormonism, his enthusiastic immersion in LDS adolescent life, and his eventual departure from the church was recently related to BuzzFeed by two of the Senator's first cousins, Mo Denis, a Democratic State Senator in Nevada, and his sister Michelle—both of whom were close to his family at the time



'Apostate Mormons' is the term used by Mormons to describe people who leave the Mormon Church, also termed EXMOs

Here is what Joseph Smith said about Apostate Mormons



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex-Mormon

Young also said that "[if] there is a despicable character on the face of the earth, it is an apostate from this Church. He is a traitor who has deceived his best friends, betrayed his trust, and forfeited every principle of honor that God placed within him. They may think they are respected, but they are not. They are disgraced in their own eyes. There is not much honesty within them; they have forfeited their heaven, sold their birthright, and betrayed their friends."[37]

11 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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oh my Rubio is an 'apostate' Mormon, baptized and attended the Mormon Church for many years (Original Post) grantcart Feb 2012 OP
Guess he's off Mittens' running mate list n/t rox63 Feb 2012 #1
Oh my, Rubio wears magic underwear too and he's not NBC anyway... workinclasszero Feb 2012 #2
LOL, all this time worrying about secret Muslims taking over and they should have FSogol Feb 2012 #3
I'm no fan of Rubio, but rusty fender Feb 2012 #4
to begin with grantcart Feb 2012 #5
The vast majority of voters rusty fender Feb 2012 #6
The fact that you will have two baptised Mormons (Rubio has never renounced his Mormon baptism) grantcart Feb 2012 #7
I think that there might be other problems with Rubio rusty fender Feb 2012 #8
I agree and then there is the problem about lying about his family history grantcart Feb 2012 #9
Good point davidpdx Mar 2012 #10
Actually Obama was 6 to 10 years old jbnow Mar 2012 #11

FSogol

(45,312 posts)
3. LOL, all this time worrying about secret Muslims taking over and they should have
Thu Feb 23, 2012, 04:32 PM
Feb 2012

been worrying about the secret Mormons.

 

rusty fender

(3,428 posts)
4. I'm no fan of Rubio, but
Thu Feb 23, 2012, 04:40 PM
Feb 2012

he was between 8 and 13 yrs old for pete's sake! Do you remember how the right wing claimed that Obama was indoctrinated into Islam because he attended an Islamic school in Indonesia when he was 8-13 yrs old? It's as stupid for us to harp on this as it was for the right-wing wackos to harp on it.

grantcart

(53,061 posts)
5. to begin with
Thu Feb 23, 2012, 06:14 PM
Feb 2012

Obama never participated in Islam.

Rubio, ACCORDING TO HIS RELATIVES, was an enthusiastic adolescent involved in Mormonism;


As the family patriarch toiled to support his wife and children, Michelle said Marco—or "Tony" as the family calls him, after his middle name Antonio—stepped in at a very young age as a natural leader in the family. Smart, confident, and slightly stubborn, Rubio was skilled at persuading his siblings, cousins and even his mother to see things his way, Michelle said.

"I think we always thought he'd be something because he had a big mouth, and he was very bossy," she said. "He could convince his mom to do anything."

And for a number of years during his early adolescence, that meant enthusiastically encouraging participation in his family's new church.

"He was totally into it," Michelle recalled. "He's always been into religion.
Football and religion. Those were his things."



But that really isn't the main point of the OP.


The point of the OP is bring up the question of how Freepers and Republicans and Mormons will handle this because;

a) Freepers will wonder about the conspiracy aspect of having two baptized Mormons on the ticket
b) Mormons will freak out because they consider that once you have been baptized as a Mormon you are infused with the Holy Spirit and while they can understand someone not following Mormonism because they have never been baptized and received the Holy Spirit anyone who has received the Holy Spirit and turned away is considered 'suspect'.
c) Rubio will be put into an awkward spot explaining why he found Mormonism so objectionable that he had to find another Church home.

 

rusty fender

(3,428 posts)
6. The vast majority of voters
Wed Feb 29, 2012, 12:29 PM
Feb 2012

will not hear about any of this, and the rest who do will not put as much stock in it as you have. Really, in the big picture, who is going to give a crap about the VP candidate's religion when he was a pre-teen?

grantcart

(53,061 posts)
7. The fact that you will have two baptised Mormons (Rubio has never renounced his Mormon baptism)
Wed Feb 29, 2012, 12:41 PM
Feb 2012

on a ticket will absolutely freak a segment of evangelical Republicans. How big is that segment? Not huge but big enough that it will be a factor in VP selection.

On a more interesting point Mormon theology gives a pass to people who have never been Mormon and can be saved later by descendents who perform the now famous conversions from the grave.

For those that have received the HS Joseph Smith had harsh words as quoted above.

It would be interesting to have Romney answer whether or not he considers Rubio apostate.


It could be an interesting twist in the campaign but my guess is that the VP will be a Republican governor and make the whole question moot.

However attractive Rubio is he would have a hard time passing the Commander in Chief bar.
 

rusty fender

(3,428 posts)
8. I think that there might be other problems with Rubio
Wed Feb 29, 2012, 05:06 PM
Feb 2012

When he was head of the Repuke Party in FL. he ran up huge bills on the Party's credit card bill. If national reporters start digging into that, it could ruin his chances at being selected.

VA's gov. wants the position and is angling for it. He looks like someone Romney would like.

grantcart

(53,061 posts)
9. I agree and then there is the problem about lying about his family history
Wed Feb 29, 2012, 09:57 PM
Feb 2012

But the other bigger problem is that while he may help in Florida he won't have any impact on non Cuban Hispanics. There is a significant rift between Cuban and other Hispanics and the Cubans special status has never motivated them to be the least bit helpful with undocumented workers from other countries.

davidpdx

(22,000 posts)
10. Good point
Thu Mar 1, 2012, 01:54 AM
Mar 2012

It might be seen by the far right as a conspiracy to have the Mormon church take over government. I would be very worried if he picks Rubio. Considering Rubio's people confirmed it, I think it removes him from the VP list.

jbnow

(3,660 posts)
11. Actually Obama was 6 to 10 years old
Thu Mar 1, 2012, 05:21 AM
Mar 2012

when he lived Indonesia and half that time he was in a Catholic school...
He went to a fancy private school, Punahou,in Hawaii from 5th through 12th grade. What a snob!
but yes, get your point

rubio was a kid, his family joined, kids follow.
But don't think the point of this posting is that this is some serious thing about rubio
It is about the difference in how the issues are handled by the press, by the right.
Posting on this irony is not the same as carping on it

It's like if someone posted about bush apologizing over a koran abuse incident we aren't worried that bush apologized, we are struck by the difference in reaction.

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