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A Mormon president? New film shows links between Smith, Romney

My advice to the film maker. Be careful, there are some facts that you probably shouldn't tell. People aren't ready for the truth about what Joseph Smith did and what really happened. Lots of good stuff, we've all heard that but the other stuff has been too taboo to even talk about.

My first reaction, is overkill. Too much on Romney and the church, and not enough on Romeny himself. Why drag Joseph Smith in this political battle? We, the people are not interested in church history, but in the here and now, and what an ethical, honest, authentic and unscrupulous individual might do to bring this country together again.

Religion in this case means nothing. Most of America does not know anything about Mormons nor do they really care.
Romney is just another mega-wealthy flip-flopper who will make sure he'll use his power to keep his friends and family even wealthier.

From watching the trailer, it seems to me that the makers of this film do not do the Mitt Romney bid for President any good.
My heart and intellect tells me that Mitt will make an extraordinary leader, and that his faith should not be an issue.
America will really "miss out" if he is not elected.
Shame on the producers of this production.

This looks interesting. I hope to have a chance to view it and form an opinion from the entire piece. As a history buff, I am particularly interested in historical accuracey...something that is fleeting in LDS productions.

Ethical, honest and... well, I'll give you unscrupulous. Must be that Utah education system again that threw that one into the mix.

It is beyond dispute that Romney took a $54,000 tax break (more than the average annual income of the state) by declaring himself to be a Utah resident. Then, AFTER he had taken the tax breaks and decided that he wanted to be governor of MA he had to change his story - and multiple tax returns - to make it look as if he was in compliance with the state's residency laws. This was not an accidental oversight - he filed tax returns in (at least) two states and with the federal government declaring himself to be a Utah resident. You can call him many things - including unscrupulous - but honest he ain't.

You are absolutely right! Be careful....I've learned the past history and it's not too pretty. There are many similarities between the history and what we go through now with the FLDS church. Or maybe you should get into it! It's time to open your eyes.

Funny, at the end saying a mormon president would be excepted, because of America's history of "inclusion." The LDS Church has held out blacks from the priesthood until 1978 (never confronting that history, using wishy-washy statements that this is "behind us"). At the same time they demonize homosexuals and spend millions to prevent their "inclusion" in society. It is a bit of a banal saying, but "practise what you preach!"

The filmmaker studied theology at Biola? Balanced people don't go there. The school teaches Christian fundamentalism. This guy doth protest too much about his reasoned approach and association with RLDS (why doesn't he provide the real name?) and MHA. Anyone on this forum can join either organization. He thinks he has sent out appeals to the fundamentalists by saying Biola, Mormons with RLDS and scholars with MHA. The filmmaker himself isn't passing the smell test if he has to resort to that kind of game so I don't hold out much hope for his treatment of any topic.

You are 100% correct Stace! We know that the only truly accurate depiction of LDS culture would have to come from a BYU or 50 S. Temple production. Yea, and FOX News REALLY is "fair and balanced." It sounds to me like this film maker has a diverse enough background to really get his head around the topic and present understandings from both sides of the issue in a logical and balanced way. He has brought together some of the top scholars (if you know enough about the field to recognize their names or better yet, to have read their books) to present both sides of this issue in a reasonable way...what more could LDS folks want from an outsider? The larger your church gets the more attention it is going to receive...as professors Bushman and Black obviously know already, it is wiser to work with those trying to be fair in their telling of your story than to poke your finger in their eyes and then complain how persecuted you are afterwards.

Just watched the trailer. Did anybody else notice that Joseph Smith looks just like Mitt Romney?

1) I am religious, but I would prefer a president who has no particular religious persuasion but knows what he or she is doing than a president who claims to be religious but doesn't know what he is doing, such as our current president. 2) As shown by the comments here, balance to one person is bias to another. 3) Those who use the inclusion argument against the LDS show a lack of knowledge about the history of race and ethnic relations in the United States. Abraham Lincoln risked rebellion by his own officers when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Martin Luther King did his work, and was murdered, in the southern States. Catholics, Irish, Chinese, Mexicans and others have all experienced exclusion in US history.

Adam Christing, would you have made this move two years ago when Mitt Romney was not yet a condidate? I think not. This film is nothing more than the effort of an opportunist to make bundles of money from curiosity-seekers at the expense of our nation's democratic process. Put the film back in the can and bring it out after the presidential election. If your production is historically interesting as well as fair and balanced, you will succeed. If instead it is a shoddy bit of work aimed at Mitt Romney's campaign, shame on you!

I'm LDS, and I would not vote for Romney. He doesn't believe in evolution, women's rights and abortion? That's enough for me.

Smith ran as a democrat.

Typical DesNews. My earlier comments weren't published because they went against the LDS grain.

Obviously, if the closet is stuffed with items that you don't want revealed, ..........don't open the closet door!!!

Anonymous, I've been LDS for 35 years, since age 18, and didn't know we "demonize homosexuals and spend millions to prevent their "inclusion" in society." I must be out to lunch because I also didn't know blacks and the priesthood is still an issue. My black friends in my ward fully participate like everyone else and don't dwell on the unfairness or injustice of the past. How would you like the church to "confront" their history? Please explain.

This will be interesting. I wonder how many people are really likely to see this film?

The man who tells you a comforting lie is not your friend.

The man who tells you a painful truth is not your enemy.

Mona - LDS critics will never be satisfied with anything the LDS Church says or does. That's a fact that will never change.

I know the critics claim they simply want the LDS Church to be honest with its history, but that simply isn't true. After all, how many books and pamphlets, critical of the LDS Church, say anything positive about any Latter-day Saint, past or present? How many of them say a word in response to the writings of people like LDS author and lecturer Truman G. Madsen, who presents details of LDS history the critics won't address?

If I followed what the critics say about LDS history, then the next time I read about the Catholic Church, it should be from books written by atheists. If I want to read about the Jewish faith, then I should read books written by the KKK.

My only question to the critics is, please explain why you continue to fulfill LDS prophecy? Joseph Smith was told his name should be known for good and evil throughout the world. All your doing by writing against Smith is making sure this prophecy is fulfilled.

As for the film, I hope to see it.