Romney and the Pseudo-Prophecy of the White Horse

Three months before the election, Mitt Romney is lagging in the polls. But for those who believe in the White Horse Prophecy, there is no need to worry. The Republican candidate will win the election hands down, saving the United States in the wake of the Apocalypse.

“You will witness the near destruction of the United States Constitution. You will see the Constitution of the United States almost destroyed. It will hang like a thread as fine as a silk fiber. … Power will be given to the white horse to rebuke the nations, and you will obey it, for the laws go forth from Zion.”

For insiders who can decode these remarks, allegedly made by Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, this prophecy is as clear as water. For outsiders, a decryption is necessary.

– The “destruction of the sacrosanct Constitution” is taking place at this moment. For many critics, this seminal document has gradually been unraveled by a federal government that overextends its reach and imposes more and more of its power over its citizens (for example, Obamacare).

– The supreme power suggests the post of president of the United States.

– The white horse symbolizes Mitt Romney, the proud Republican steed.

– The enemy nations are legion: North Korea, Yemen, Iran and probably half the countries ending in -stan.

– The laws of Zion—the biblical name for Jerusalem—represent the sacred texts, or the commandments dictated by God.

For the faithful, the evidence is obvious. Romney, the providential man, will lift the country, and by extension the world, out of the spiritual and economic rut into which it has sunk!

A Dubious Origin

There is only one problem. When we look closer at the truth of this prophecy, however, it seems that it too hangs only by a thread as thin as silk. Joseph Smith is supposed to have made this prediction in a vision that he experienced in Illinois in 1843, one year before his death. But his remarks would not be made public until several years later by Edwin Rushton, a follower who claimed to have been there with Smith. Moreover, the Mormon church never recognized the prediction and formally rejected it in 1918.

However, questionable origins do not prevent the White Horse Prophecy from being taken as fact. Many articles have been devoted to it on the internet, usually alongside other texts dealing with the Mayan calendar, the Freemasons, the Illuminati and other conspiracy theories.

In the end, while laughable, this myth is especially revealing of the fantasies that arouse the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the extended name of the community referred to as Mormon.

Joseph Smith: Founder

The term “Mormon” originates from the name of a central historical figure in this religion. He is a prophet who, according to tradition, would have lived in the fourth century in North America (more than a millennium before Columbus) and compiled various ancient stories in a new holy book. The Book of Mormon is so essential in this religion, like the Bible, the Koran or the Torah, that the name Mormon was eventually given to the disciples.

The Mormon community claims to have over 14 million followers around the world, but they are mostly found on American soil, home to the religion since 1830. Its headquarters are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, but it was in upstate New York that its founder Joseph Smith initiated the movement.

A Religion “Made in the USA”

Praying in a grove, the future prophet, then 14-years-old, witnessed several apparitions, including those of Jesus Christ and God the Father, in person. They gave him the job of rebuilding the true church, since the religious institutions of man had perverted the original sacred message.

Some years later, he is visited by an angel, Moroni, who very graciously told him where the scriptures were hidden: on a hill in upstate New York. Several divine apparitions later, Joseph Smith and his fledgling congregation build their first temple in Ohio.

For the Mormon community, America occupies a special place; it is the country where their religion was born, and it is also where their prophet witnessed divine apparitions. The United States represents the new holy land, and the United States Constitution is sacred.

The state of Israel is also highly regarded, as Judaism is the source of their religion. The “lost tribes” that lived in the ancient kingdom of Israel in the Old Testament would have just crossed the Atlantic. …

(For more on this vast subject, I recommend the excellent blog MormonismandSocieties.wordpress.com)

Political Ascension

Like other religions, the power of the Mormon community rapidly approached the political scene. Joseph Smith first declared himself a presidential candidate in Jan. 1844, but he died only a few months later, under fire from his opponents. The circumstances of his death are somewhat controversial, but for his disciples, Joseph Smith became an instant martyr for the cause.

Subsequently, the community of Mormons continued to grow, aided by rapid population growth and a lot of proselytizing. Followers invested little by little in key sectors of the economy and elevated themselves to the highest political realms. Today, no less than five members of Congress are Mormon, including Harry Reid, the Democratic leader in the Senate. Most, however, are from the Republican camp, which is traditionally more conservative. [They include people] like Jon Huntsman, the former governor of Utah who participated in his party’s primaries this year, and obviously Mitt Romney, who won.

Focus on the Presidency!

Each time a Mormon candidate embarks on a presidential campaign, the attacks against the community intensify, and the White Horse Prophecy resurfaces. In fact, when George W. Romney (Mitt’s father) ran for president in 1967, he had to answer pressing questions concerning the prediction.

More recently, in 2000, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah was subjected to the same treatment, but his candidacy would not go beyond the primary stage, as he faced the promising George W. Bush. In 2008, first-time candidate Mitt Romney passed the examination. Hoping to silence once and for all the rumor, he was forced to respond in the Salt Lake Tribune, “I haven’t heard my name associated with [the White Horse Prophecy] or anything of that nature. That’s not official church doctrine. … ”

An Abundance of Controversies

To the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the allegations concerning the White Horse Prophecy are ultimately just details. The community is forced to defend itself against far more serious attacks on its doctrine and activities, both in the U.S. and abroad.

Among the complaints most often heard are its very conservative positions regarding the LGBT community and the role of women in society. Furthermore, Mormons are often accused of practicing polygamy, even though this practice has been officially banned for over a century (although some splinter groups still practice it).

Discrimination against the black community had also long been a source of controversy until the late approval of the ordination of “priests of color” in 1978. The Mormon church has since greatly increased its presence on African soil.

Another large file of complaints concerns the “baptism of the dead,” a symbolic ritual of blessing missing persons, which is sometimes done without seeking the consent of their families. For example, Ann Dunham, Obama’s mother, was blessed in a ceremony for the salvation of the dead. More disturbing, victims of the Holocaust and former Nazi executioners were baptized together.

For Mormons, every soul must be saved and every human life counts, which has led them to become specialists in the world of genealogy. In miles of tunnels under the Utah desert are references to billions of people from around the globe. The database is unique in its genre and disturbing to some critics of this global filing system.

A Financial Empire

The financial opacity of the Mormon church has also received a lot of press. Religious authorities share financial information only in countries that require it. As a result of the enormous sums raised by a monthly tithing paid by followers (10 percent of their income) and investments in various companies, the small congregation has gradually transformed into a veritable financial empire.

Romney is no exception to the rule and has contributed generously to the cause, donating several million dollars. According to an estimate by Time in 1997, the Mormon church could be worth more than $30 billion. The church has denied this projection, arguing the estimate is clearly exaggerated. But it’s hard to know for sure, as the cult of secrecy persists. In any case, the Mormon church is in good shape financially.

For all these reasons, not to mention their foolproof proselytizing, millenarian beliefs and strange, anachronistic rituals, the Mormon church has continued to face a barrage of criticisms that are more or less justified. This is especially true now with Mitt Romney in the spotlight.

Will Mitt Romney become the first Mormon president of the United States? The verdict rests at the polls on November 6. If he fails, though, there is nothing to worry about. Supporters of the White Horse Prophecy will await the next Mormon candidate. That’s the advantage of dealing with prophecies: We can always choose how to reinterpret them. …