Beck Hurts His Own Cause

Even though I have little use for Glenn Beck, and often criticize the things he does and says, I think he's an intelligent man who seems to consider his own self-interest before he speaks or acts. Speaking the truth doesn't seem to be a primary motivation, but helping his own cause, including improving ratings and selling books, clearly is. That is what makes today's story very surprising. Here and here are a couple of the many articles about it.

This story actually surfaced last week, when on his August 24 show, Beck accused President Obama of supporting a "liberation theology" that does not conform to "true" Christian values. On Sunday, Beck expanded on his statements, asserting, among other things, that the President's views are "a perversion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as most Christians know it."

The unfortunate thing about that last statement is that many Christians consider Beck's views a perversion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mormons have been struggling for years to overcome the claims of many fundamentalist Christians who assert that Mormons are not Christian, that Mormonism is a cult, and that it promotes a false gospel. This is a difficult issue, which turns on the right of any person, Christian or not, to define what is "true" Christianity, and what is "false" Christianity. By raising this issue with respect to President Obama, Beck exposes his own hypocrisy, emboldens those who question Mormons' Christianity, and hurts the cause of his own religion.

Mormons believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior and Redeemer of the world, they worship him as God, and they believe he has redeemed them from their sins. Mormons have several beliefs that differ from those held by some fundamentalist Christians, but so do adherents of many other Christian faiths, including principally Catholics. Without delving into specific differences of opinion, I want to address the question of whether any Christian has the right to judge whether or not another person is a true Christian.

Wikipedia asserts that there are as many as 38,000 Christian denominations. In the US alone, one site lists 30 different Christian denominations with at least 50,000 members, though many of these have separate branches that could actually be defined as different denominations. Clearly, there would be no reason for all of these denominations to exist in the absence of some doctrinal or practical disagreements. It would be axiomatic to suggest that each Christian would believe the doctrines espoused by his or her own church to be the true Christianity, and that they would disagree with interpretations made by other churches that don't agree with their own. There simply is no universal agreement on Christian beliefs.

This situation is not new. Even in the New Testament we have evidence of disagreements among Christ's disciples on important points of doctrine. In the centuries following the crucifixion, many disputes arose regarding orthodox views. Throughout history, many attempts have been made to unify Christian beliefs, largely without success. Rifts between the Eastern and Western churches and the much later development of Protestantism were among the largest divisions in Christianity, though many other breaks have followed. One of the most significant of those, to me at least, is the advent of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830. Mormons believe the establishment of their church was the restoration of true Christian doctrines lost over the centuries after Christ's death. This is not unlike the view of Protestants that the reformation was needed to bring Christianity back to its true, original creed.

Adherents of any Christian (or non-Christian) denomination have the right to believe that theirs is the only correct belief system, but this is far different from having the right to question the sincerity or validity of someone else's different beliefs. Mormons "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." (Articles of Faith 11). This is a fundamental principle of respect that should frame the religious beliefs of all.

In my opinion, no Christian has the right to decide whether someone else's religious views conform to some interpretation of orthodoxy, or to deny them the right to call themselves Christian. It is the fundamental right of each person to decide their own religious beliefs. By denying this right to President Obama, Glenn Beck invited others to deny him the same right. Because I belong to the same church Beck does, he also invited others to question my beliefs and to deny my Christianity. Beck's short-sightedness on this issue makes no sense. It certainly is not in his self-interest, and it is a blatant betrayal of all those who share his religious beliefs. He has set back the cause of all Mormons and others who seek the right to call themselves Christians.