I know what you’re trying to say. I meant to put a >:p at the end of my comment:)

I guess I’m just worried we members of the church (especially in the U.S.) worry more about finding a way to fit in without compromising our standards instead of seeking “first the kingdom of God” and worry about becoming more Christ-like and let things take care of themselves.

Show me an atheist who has been rooting for Romney’s win all along, and then we can talk about people getting offended.

I didn’t say any atheists were planning to vote for him — I agreed with you guys that it is politically expedient for him to throw the non-Christians to the wolves.

Show me an atheist who has been rooting for Romney’s win all along, and then we can talk about people getting offended.

btw-
The things he said about our country being founded on faith? True. The fact that he’s a faith-driven man? True. Why shouldn’t he talk about it? It’s important to the majority of the country. I’m not saying that we should ignore the minority (hey, I’m related to some pretty cool atheists!), but if he’s going to win the bid, and hopefully (for me!) win the presidency, then he needs to be upfront with himself and the country he may serve.

madhousewife-
He did write his own speech. No rumor!

I don’t understand how you can ask for tolerance and yet fail to give to others because they’re not “mainstream”. A mormon should understand that. And yet he wants others to be accepting of him and tolerant of his religious differences.

Bingo.

But you guys are right that it’s good strategy for him to define the American political tradition In terms of a “symphony of faith” — in order to implicitly kick non-believers out the door of the concert hall of discussion. His Evangelical audience will surely be sympathetic to his message of “Don’t hate me, I hate those guys just as much as you do!!!”

Manuel: It turns out not even Mormons want Mormons to be peculiar anymore.

Is peculiar the same as abnormal? Do you think that peculiar people in the sense that Paul was talking about can’t be considered normal Americans, that we can’t be fully integrated into the societies in which we live?

What I mean by normal is that we’re not odd cultists. A Mormon engineer builds bridges just like non-mormon engineers. Mormon politicians serve their constituents just like non-Mormon politicians. I don’t think the admonition to be peculiarly Christlike is an admonition to be odd ducks.

Besides, I’m talking about what we are, not what we should be. American Mormons are run-of-the-mill Americans. Hopefully we are unique and better than average in some ways, but whatever uniqueness we have does not make us odd.