The Latter-Day Taint?

The rise within the GOP of people who believe that America is Zion, and the only Zion is America? That'll do nicely. But the real story of Romney's frontrunner status is that, for all the media lather over the Tea Party, the GOP primary electorate is still dominated by the people who nominated Bush I, Dole, Bush II as he presented himself in 2000, and McCain.

Glenn Beck's readers, viewers and listeners may end up converting, as he did, to the only form of religion in which Manifest Destiny makes sense as anything other than an add-on and an aberration. A Beckian Mormonism would be something quite different from that taught by the grand old men of Salt Lake City. That ought to be impossible, since being a Mormon means submitting to the authority of the Prophet and First President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. But they already tolerate Beck himself, as we Catholics tolerate certain high-profile neoconservative converts, although Fr Neuhaus, at least, did seem to be coming round by the end, and might very well have done so in the end.

Bringing us to that which is really sought by those who seek that fullness of Christianity which includes priesthood, a high theology of baptism, a living earthly Teaching Office focused in a person on this earth, an intercessory relationship between those on this side of bodily death and those on the other side of it, and so much else besides.