This guy is even crazier than I thought.

What is there to be offended by, to me it sound more like a question than him stating what he knew they believed. Come on now the man already said he doesn't know that much about the Mormon doctrine, so why would the media keep asking him about it?

I LIKE MIKE!

You want to know what Mormons believe. Here's what Mormons believe. I'm actually an atheist, so I don't believe most of this stuff myself -- although I always did kind of like the last one (#13) -- but if Romney was brought up in the Mormon church then he must have learned these as a young child, just like I did.

The Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.

3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

-- Joseph Smith

I don't know why Romney doesn't just say that.

What an unbelievable bigot this guy is turning out to be. How does the media feel now about all those "aw, shucks" and "charming" stories they wrote about him?

As usual, all they wanted was a horse race. They seem to have created a presidential candidate media Frankenstein all their own. Can they now dismantle before January? We'll see. Otherwise, it'll be up to us.

Even if they do believe the devil was the brother of Jesus, they still see him as an evil being; as a fallen angel like the Bible says. It sounds to me like Huckabee was suggesting that they in some manner worship the devil.

Shawn: For REAL truth about what Mormon's believe, go to the source www.lds.org. If you want to find out what other people THINK Mormon's believe, go to the sites you listed.

Derek: Go do some research. Huck is an active anti-Mormon. When the SBC went to Salt Lake a couple years ago to "Save the Mormons," Huck was there. As a Mormon living in Arkansas, I am outraged. But the few will rarely be heard. I'd also like to know where Huck stood on "the Negro question" in 1978. Huck is probably one of the most biggoted candidates we have. Now I am scared.

And for anyone else listening... the press and it's responders amaze me... You can take a perfectly legitimate statement and make it sound like it's a crazy cult teaching. It's all in the way you make the statement.

Do your homework.

I believe he's confusing Jesus and Satan with Dick Cheney and Barack Obama.

And just to set the record straight, they're cousins, not brothers.

I would rather have Romney in office than Rudy, but I prefer Huckabee.

I'm afraid I'd have to go with "None of the above," on that one. Yikes.

Huckabee campaign already response to this.
http://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=Newsroom.PressRelease&ID=425

Looks like this is nothing more than a hit piece on Huckabee like I thought. Its sad that the media is so desperate to go to this level to where they misrepresent Huckabee. The media has attacked both Mormons and Christians.

- Shawn

Common Huck,

You are a graduate of a Bible School. This phrase is "anti-mormon 101" that is taught there. It is in all the literature the baptists (and others) print to scare their parishoners about Mormons.

If he truly didn't know that than he is TRULY more clueless than I though and not just a cuniving biggoted hate monger.

As a Mormon Democrat that has lived in the South for several years, I find all of this really amusing. Huck is your typical Baptist prick that must attack other religions in his efforts to "save" people, and Romney is a hopeless flip-flopper that would say anything to get elected.

I think these guys deserve each other. Pass the popcorn.

Beliefs aside this does show that Huckabee knows how to play rough.

Has Karl Rove secretly been advising Huck?
This supposed "lightweight" candidate is not acting as one.

I don't know why y'all are so scared of Huckabee. You should be grateful he will take down Rudy and Mitt and then you can wipe the floor with him.

The GOP can't have it both ways. They need to dance with the ones that brung em. Huckabee's popularity has certainly proved that it's both foolish to think otherwise and to never think that that pandering could come back to haunt them. I'm tired of the silent bigotry of the right. Richard Land will come out and call the Mormon religion a cult, where are the rest of the Christians who believe otherwise publicly challenging Richard Land and the Baptists? Hmmm, that would be even uglier wouldn't it. I hope this episode will convince political leaders that they have a high price to pay for trying to game the religion side of the electorate.

Joseph Smith believed the promised land is here.

Before anyone screams 'bigotry', why don't you sit down and realise that most Americans don't like Mormonism. I think Huck speaks for most of us when he questions a religion that has a very chequered past.

That would be Utah. Keep in mind that document I posted was written probably 150 years ago. These days Mormonism is a pretty ordinary protestant Christian religion in most respects. They have a few quirks but nothing as kooky as playing with poisonous snakes. They're just people who get up and go to church on Sunday then get up and go to work on Monday.

Anyway really don't think the good people of modern day Utah are in any way interested living in close quarters with a lot of swarthy middle eastern types. They pretty much define white bread middle America. To whatever extent any of them think about those old prophecies at all, they probably regard it as stuff that will happen by supernatural means at some far off future date of god's choosing, like any good mythology. Guess that would be one way to solve the Palestinian problem though, wouldn't it?

I hope this gets Huck elected. I HATE THE SAME PEOPLE YOU DO...MUSLIMS and MORMONS.

He's a uniter all right. Huck is everything the world imagines the USA to be. Sanctimonious puke.
He is the embodiment of all republican ideals: ignorance and hatred to further his greedy agenda.

So it goes.
Somewhere a large dog barked.

It's interesting that Hucabee's self-exculpatory press release claims the story was "out of context," yet did not provide the context.

It's quite clear that LDS considers Jesus to be the elder brother of Lucifer, and it's also clear that they are the the two most prominent "spirit children" of God.

This is like watching Godzilla v. Mothra. It's impossible to root for either of them, but it's great to see the blood flow!

Hucksterbee's own beliefs, like that dinosaurs and people were cotemporaneous and that God created the Earth 8,000 years ago, should next come under scrutiny.

No Mormon is going to deny that this is an actual point of doctrine. Yes, Mormons believe that Jesus and Lucifer (and all people that lived on this earth and the 1/3 of the host of heaven that fell to follow Satan) are siblings. To Mormons this provides even greater context to Lucifer's motives.

Mormons have no desire to conform to the view of "orthodox Christianity" (whoever got to decide what that is).

What is funny is how narrowminded the religious right is politically. Mormons vote 85% Republican. I would LOVE for the Repub candidate be someone that has a documented anti Mormon (or cult or whatever other lame title that helps a "Christian" group feel good about attacking the faith of another Christian). Finally Mormons would realize what a scam the "values" party really is.

But i agree. Huck would be brilliant for Dems. This guy has just begun to have his dirty laundry exposed.

Had a conversation yesterday with a very conservative Republican neighbor who was very annoyed at obsession about religion in the Republican party caused by THE LIBERAL MEDIA. He asked me do we even know what religion Hillary is or Edwards? This man was serious - is this what they are telling him on Fox and Rush - that the media is making religion important for Republicans - my jaw could not drop far enough.

Christianity doesn't need to be examined because it's been around a lot longer than Mormonism so MOST American's know what they teach. Mormonism is hasn't been around as long and because they are so secretive about their doctrine, most people don't know what they believe. Why doesn't Mitt just throw out the articles of faith? Of course Americans are interested in knowing what exactly he believes, and since most don't they have every right to question it. We question where all the canidates stand on their views and I can't help but think those views are driven by their belief in a higher power. If the Mitt is a true believer of the Mormon faith, then isn't he called to share that with all people? So why is he so secretive? Is he afraid people will find out all the weird Mormon doctine, that most Mormons themselves don't know. Most Mormons haven't read the Journal of Discourse and they should because Brigham Young taught that all his sermons where to be regarded as scripture.
"There is not a man or woman, who violates the covenants made with their God, that will not be required to pay the debt. The blood of Christ will never wipe that out, your own blood must atone for it . . . " (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, page 247; see also, Vol. 4, pp. 53-54, 219-220.)

"These days Mormonism is a pretty ordinary protestant Christian religion in most respects. They have a few quirks but nothing as kooky as playing with poisonous snakes. They're just people who get up and go to church on Sunday then get up and go to work on Monday."

Actually, I think you've hit on the reason this little civil war will not end until the Republican Armageddon brings us McCain or 9iu11iani. The bible thumping snake handlers slithering through the party are probably more upset by Smith's "hijacking of Jesus" than they would be if he had based his religion on Hinduism or something. Trying to argue that you are similar to them and don't really take anything too seriously or to extremes is like telling a T'ed up biker at the end of the Tour d'France that you like to ride bikes too. Not a pretty reaction.

The easygoing, let's get along, we're all brothers thing isn't going anywhere. Hiding Smith behind Jesus will only drive them deeper into their paranoid fit. They start hallucinating blond-haired western Shylocks lurking behind every rusted out Trans-Am and pink gazing ball in their yard.

They just aren't going to sit with the idea that you have this whacked out theology that you somehow want to softpedal and hide. To them, whacked out theology is something that you throw in other people's faces by threatening to quarantine them for abberant behavior. Anything less means you are a member of the U.N. plot to deliver us into the hands of the Jewish bankers or Muslim butchers.

I'm loving every minute of this civil war. It means McCain gets the nomination or else we walk all over their bloody corpses.

(Disclaimer...I have a rusted out Civic and maple sap buckets in my yard, and sometimes I think I see Cheney lurking out there.)

Lying sack of crap. Claiming he doesn't know about mormons is a bold faced lie. There is no way he is a minister in the south and doesn't know about mormons. He could "bash" mormons for 2 hours straight without using the same phrase twice. I respected Huckabee until I read about this. I'm supposed to believe he just accidentally let that slip out? Oops, did I say that? This is no different than one group of muslim hating and eventually killing another because they aren't muslim enough, or they are the wrong flavor of muslim. That isn't the America I want to live in. Huck is out of the race for me.

Bupalos, I'm the farthest from the type of guy to post comments like this (the previous was my third...ever). But I had to repost to disagree with you. I'm not talking the cable news, or "papers" literally. But the evening news and 'biographers' (who's parent companies own NYT, CNN, FOX, etc.) taking story after story of how this president rose above this and that to become the first blah, blah, blah.

My issues are not relevant since I'm pretty much on the fence looking at the green grass to the right. "jacked up, woman-hating, aids-quarantining, rapist-freeing Clinton conspiracy theorizing Arkie"?? I'm guessing you're nowhere near the fence and a 'issues' discussion would be pointless just like the pointless banter between Huckabee and Romney that only exists in the NYT and other news outlets that have forgotten that news is to 'report' rather than 'create' the news (not necessarily accusing them in this particular instance...I don't know that yet).

Who can take care of the needy Americans without breaking the back of our economy, protect Americans here and overseas, without breaking the back of our economy, and allow more Americans to succeed, WITHOUT BREAKING THE BACK OF OUR ECONOMY?? Well, I guess those are MY issues, but everyone should vote their own, not mine, not Romney's, Clinton's, Obama's, Huckabee's, and certainly not the Media's

See the chart on MormonInfo.org

Mormons aren't ashamed it's true. I believe satan (Lucifer) is a fallen son of God and brother to Jesus, was kicked out of heaven for rebellion, and came to earth to try and make everyone else miserable like himself and to get revenge on God by trying to screw up his other kids.

Why would I be ashamed of that belief. It makes sense, it fits perfectly with the bible (Isaiah 14:12), and doesn't diminish God or Jesus in any way.

Hitler is also a son of God and brother to Jesus. He was a very bad person. Does that diminish God or Jesus? Is huckabee offended at that fact, too?

A few points:

CalD -
Mormons believe the gathering of "Israel" is a gathering of God's chosen people in the last days - i.e., people will begin to accept the gospel and gather in God's church. "Israel" refers to the House of Israel -- not the nation-state. Mormons are not anywhere near as interested in the Israeli nation-state and the Israel lobby as the Religious Right.

And the "literal" gathering was not originally thought to be in Utah -- it was supposed to be in Missouri. But the Mormons were driven out of Missouri by mobs -- that's how they ended up in Utah. The idea of a "literal" (physical, geographical) gathering has diminished quite a bit. The dominant view now is that the gathering is "in the Church" and not so much in a particular geographical location -- though I would imagine most Mormons are open to the idea that a future "literal" gathering could occur.

Nick -
It is true that roughly 85% of Mormons voted for Bush. But that's not the same as saying that 85% of Mormons vote Republican. Most Mormons tend to see themselves as fairly independent and willing to vote for whichever candidate best matches their values. That's been my experience anyway. The social conservatism among Mormons often leads them to vote Republican -- at least in the last 25 years or so -- but the fact is that prior to the GOP's push to make abortion and homosexuality and "family values" the centerpiece of its politics, Mormons were more strongly associated with the Democratic party and Progressivism. Personally, I wish they would get back to those times.

ExMormon -
The bible says plainly and clearly that we are God's children. (Rom 8:16-17) It does not say that animals are God's children. It also does not say, anywhere, that we are "creatures." And your conception of Jesus has much more to do with the Nicene Creed than with the bible. Evangelicals love to attack Mormons for relying on extra-biblical sources for their beliefs, but mainstream Christianity relies ENTIRELY on the Nicene Creed for its trinitarian conception of Jesus and God. Sounds extra-biblical to me.

TinTexas -
Mitt isn't being "secretive" -- he's just trying to keep his eye on the ball, which is politics and political issues. The ins and outs of Mormonism are not what matters. Getting into that stuff would only be distracting and divisive. Avoiding it is common sense and politically responsible -- not "secretive."

With this making news and all the reaction and interest, it's obvious to me that doctrine does matter. The fact is, despite what others may want to think, that many do care if their leaders are being led by the same God/Jesus as they are. What LDS don't understand is that Christians hold to Jesus being the unique Son of God. That means for them, they think that He's God the Son. He's the second person of the *only* God there is. Every other son of God is not a son with the nature of God. They are creatures with different natures (e.g., angels and humans). Jesus, for Christians, is exalted above anything imaginable, since He is literally the Creator of everything outside Himself--including us and Lucifer (Jn. 1:1-3, 14; Rom. 9:5; and Col. 1:13-18). LDS devalue Jesus since He didn't create everything. LDS don't even believe that there is a God for any world who is God by nature. Each God (since Mormons are polytheists) had to become a god, and is worshipped exclusively for that world. "Worthy" LDS hope to become gods of their own worlds to receive exclusive worship from their own spirit kids. But Jesus taught there is only one true God (Jn. 17:3), and He warned us of false prophets and false Christs that would come in the last days (Mt. 24:24).

Don>>"taking story after story of how this president rose above this and that to become the first blah, blah, blah."

Don, trust me...I've worked in publishing and I've worked in advertising and I for one would suggest that there is no financial media incentive on the kind of hagiography material you are talking about. None. Sex. Violence. Kooks. These things sell.

I can listen to any argument, and I think your issues aren't bad ones, if that's what you're voting on. You can take your guess on who's leadership will lead to those things, but really, people of intelligence and goodwill can disagree. I think of Huckabee as a close heir to Bush in all things policy beyond torture, and I can give you good reasons why Bush has been a total disaster on exactly the issues you list.

Why do you think that support for Obama has to be his skin color? Or Hillary her sex? Isn't that a kind of racism and sexism, even if you want it to be? You have every chance to talk about their positions, but you CHOOSE in your own mind to make their popularity all about sex and race. That says something to me.

If people of faith want to attack each other's beliefs, I say more power to 'em. I mean how ludicrous can it get? Debating the "truth" of made up stories about imaginary beings. Might as well concern ourselves with how Buffy banished Angel to the hellworld. The best that I can hope for is that an enduring battle of this sort ultimately reveals all such beliefs to be what they are: fairy tales for scared children (with whom I guess I have to include the vast majority of the adult population of the US.) Oy gevult!

All too often, authentic learning ends where faith begins.

Bupalos, Oh, come on! You MUST be in the media. I never said anything about reasons for the support of Obama or Clinton - let the assumptions run amok! I happen to know a little something about the media (and publishing) as well, and I must, respectfully, disagree with your assesment of what will sell.

The 'rightists' and the 'leftists' both have extreme issues, and I agree with the Bush presidency being a disaster (although thinking minds HAVE to agree that part of his crash and burn is the responsibility of the media being irresponsible), that's why I sit in the middle and watch for the person I most agree with and avoid publicly debasing any of the candidates. If it was easy, everybody who commented on this would run. Have some respect for all the candidates and make a decision based on YOUR beliefs and let others do the same.

I think your comments have betrayed your bias as you tried to paint a bias in me that simply doesn't exist.

We're praying for truth.
www.choosejesusrightnow.com/bumpersticker

A candidate’s faith may not matter to some, but if issues of faith are going to be discussed in the news, it is worthwhile to make some clarifying distinctions.

Mormonism is a cult, if you define cult as "Any religious group that deviates radically from orthodox teachings of historic Christianity, while adherents are claiming to be "true Christians" by way of some special revelation or privilege". There are many cults out there, Mormonism being one.

Christians and Mormons worship two DIFFERENT Gods.

Here are a few differences between what Christians and Mormons believe:
1Mormon – God was once a man like us.
1Christian – God was, is, and always will be God.

2Mormon – Many Gods, an unknown number of them
2Christian – One God. Isaiah 44 “I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God…Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any.”

3Mormon – Salvation by grace AND works 2 Nephi 25:23
3Christian – Salvation by faith alone. Many verses, one example Ephesians 2:8-9

4Mormon – Men become Gods, have a marriage in Heaven and procreate children in Heaven (just as God does now)
4Christian – The idea that “Men become Gods” is blasphemy. Jesus said we will be neither married nor given in marriage in Heaven. Matthew 22:29-30

Mormons and Christians worship a different Jesus as well:

The Jesus of the Bible: Co-Eternal with God, without beginning or end.

The Jesus of Mormonism: Created by a God, who was himself also created. At one time this Jesus was not, then, having been created by God, became. This Jesus is thus less than God.

Each religion has a different Jesus, and a different God. One is Christian while the other is clearly not.

If the cries of indignation weren't so loud, you could hear the violins softly playing "Oh Say, What is Truth?" in the background.

"Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?"

If Huck kill/ignore read Book of Mormon then Satan/Demon will raise and attack him.