Originally Posted By TomSawyer I thought that Mormons had bishops and councilors and stake presidents. Why would Romney say that he was a pastor in his church instead of saying that he was a bishop?
Originally Posted By fkurucz Isn't it obvious? "Pastor" is Evang/Fundy speak (Some mainline protestants also use the term). Had he used an LDS term he would have reminded them that he is different from them. "Pastor" makes it sound like they are members of the same club. I suppose that had he been campaigning in the UK he would have said he was a "Vicar".
Originally Posted By utahjosh He said "pastor" because that would be the term understood by most Americans. Stake President would mean nothing to most and the term Bishop does't mean the same thing to the vast majority who are not LDS. You could call it pandering, or you could call it effective communication.
Originally Posted By fkurucz I wouldn't say that he was "pandering". The word that comes to mind is "misleading".
Originally Posted By utahjosh Saying "Bishop" would actually be misleading. Mitt used an appropriate term to communicate effectively. A catholic Bishop presides over a much, much larger number of members than an LDS bishop or even a stake president.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 In fairness, this one doesn't bother me much. There were FAR more misleading moments from Romney last night.
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>Saying "Bishop" would actually be misleading.<< If that's what his title was, then that's what he should have said. He could have taken a moment to explain that an LDS Bishop has a smaller jurisdiction than Bishops in other religions. Had he been addressing an Islamic crowd, would he have said that he was an Imam?
Originally Posted By utahjosh <If that's what his title was, then that's what he should have said. He could have taken a moment to explain that an LDS Bishop has a smaller jurisdiction than Bishops in other religions.> You think, in Romney's last 2 minutes of the debate, he should have spent the time explaining the LDS leadership organization rather than using a more familiar, similar term? Remind me not to hire you if I ever run for office.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan I hate defending Romney. I really do. But on this one, I don't see the issue. "Pastor" is a big downgrade from what most people think of as a "bishop." Pastor reminds me of the guy in the little church on Little House on the Prairie. A bishop sounds like an executive. Given the time constraints, it was a shorthand way of describing his position in the church. Mormon terminology is a little off the beaten path for most Americans. "Elder" sounds again like some big muckety muck. Maybe because it started off as a small church they felt it necessary to give important-sounding titles to members.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder Pastor, Bishop, whatever. To Romney we're all just Pawns and he's out to Rook us.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer I think that the word was carefully chosen as yet another obfuscation from Romney. He wasn't a pastor, or an Imam, or a Dean, or a Vicar, or a Rabbi, or a Swami, or a High Priestess. He didn't use any of the other words to describe what he did - he used a word that was targeted to appeal to a particular demographic. He could have said bishop, and it could have been an educational moment for the people who don't understand the Mormon hierarchy. There could have been a footnote or column about what that means. But instead of standing up and accurately describing his title, he hid it. I've never heard a religious leader from another faith describe themselves as anything other than the title they actually held.
Originally Posted By utahjosh DyGDisney - Thanks for exemplifying why Romney said Pastor. Here's a link to an infographic that will explain it: <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormon-lay-ministry" target="_blank">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/...ministry</a>
Originally Posted By utahjosh I will admit that using the word Pastor to connect with those familiar with it was a wise move, pandering or not.
Originally Posted By DyGDisney Josh, dude! I went to your link and my trendsetter anti-virus protection said it was a dangerous page and blocked it!
Originally Posted By DyGDisney Stake President makes it sould like the person who has put the most money into the "church" gets to be the "pastor".
Originally Posted By utahjosh Try this one: <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/media/mormon-lay-leadership-ministry-volunteer_Infographic.jpg/orig" target="_blank">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/...jpg/orig</a>
Originally Posted By utahjosh Ha! The LDS website is trying to break into your computer, and baptize anyone in your email list.
