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Why is Brigham Young especially relevant to our current presidential campaign?
Brigham Young died 130 years ago on August 29, 1877 at the age of 76. He was a renowned leader of the Latter Day Saint movement. In 1847, Young became the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, colloquially called the Mormon Church because it relies on the Book of Mormon as its Bible. The Mormon religion itself was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1830.
Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts, is currently one the leading Republican candidates for the presidency in 2008. He is the first ever Mormon to run for this office. This has suddenly focused more attention of his religion and whether it is an appropriate background for a person who could become President of the United States.
This kind of attention was focused on John F. Kennedy when he, a practicing Roman Catholic, was asked to defend that he would not use his faith as the basis for making presidential decisions if he were elected.
Activity: Here is a list of essential questions for critical thinking that teachers can assign to their students (and/or create others).
- Why might his Mormon religion discourage a vote for Mitt Romney in the Republican convention or in the Presidential election of 2008?
- What about the Mormon religion may be a positive influence for a vote for Mitt Romney?
- What are the similarities and the difference between typical mainstream Christian beliefs in the U.S. and what the Mormons believe and practice?
These are examples of questions that motivate critical thinking and help students go beyond the typical "who, what, when, and where" type of questions generally associated with student research assignments.
Teachers should create additional essential questions based on the interests of their students. Assign a written report of 200-250 words that addresses the essential questions and integrates information from at least three resources.
Here's your pathfinder for a variety of information about the Mormon religion and Mitt Romney:
- Click Topics search tab
- Type "Mitt Romney and Mormon religion"
- Click Romney, W Mitt (person) AND Mormons (company/org)
- View documents
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