Posted by:
steve benson
(
)
Date: November 30, 2011 12:40AM
In an article in the Huffington Post, entitled, "Are Mormons Any Weirder Than the Rest of Us?," Rabbi Shmuley Boteach makes his case against that proposition with this opening statement:
"I have been close to Mormons ever since my days at Oxford when Michael Taft Benson, whose grandfather, Ezra Taft Benson, was the prophet of the Mormon Church at the time, became a member and then an elected officer of our L'Chaim Society at the University. Thus began a lifelong friendship that continues today, with many visits to lecture for Mike at Southern Utah University and other mostly Mormon academies of higher learning in the majority Mormon state.
"I have thus watched with mild amusement as the debate surrounding the beliefs of Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman have gained steam. Aren't the Mormons weird fanatics? Should we treat people with such strange beliefs with high office?"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-shmuley-boteach/are-mormons-any-weirder-t_b_1116390.html____
Hello, Rabbi--
My name is Steve Benson. I am the older brother of Mike Benson, president of Southern Utah University, and the oldest grandchild of Ezra Taft Benson, former president of the Mormon Church.
Yes, not only are Mormons weird, they are weirder than a lot of other people in their strange beliefs.
Perhaps you, me and Mike can get together sometime and I can tell you why Romney's weirdness (not necessarily Huntsman's) is grounds enough in my mind to not elect him president of the United States. We can go into that weirdness in more detail at that time, not here in the open where it could prove embarrassing to those within reading distance who might report it through the Mormon grapevine back to my family. (Perhaps we could meet at some nice little restaurant of your or Mike's choosing in Cedar City. I've been there several times and like the town, although I can't say whether it's up to Oxford's standards since I have never been to Oxford).
If you would like, maybe I can draw your caricature over lunch. I used to do that sort of thing at an amusement park in Texas, Six Flags, and with that penchant for doodling eventually was able to pull down the Pultizer prize.
Now, THAT'S weird.
Take care.
Ex-Mormon Steve Benson
Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2011 09:39PM by steve benson.