Mitt Romney: Issues Around His Mormon Faith are so Passe

However unfair it may be. the bottom line is that the depraved “faith” background of Obama has pretty much made Gov Romney’s faith a non-issue. Unfortunate that Obama was the predicate for this, but it is what it is.

(actually, what I mean is that, unfortunate that Obama’s sham and/or depraved “religious” background was the predicate for this, but cleared ground is cleared ground…)

What’s the deal with being a Mormon? Mormons are Christian, they just have different doctrines. . Evangelicals are told all kinds of untrue things about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Mike Huckabee is not truthful, and he is ignorant. He and his Evangelicals.
I was like him in my younger years, I believed everything I was told about Mormons, and I shared those lies with others. Then I decided to so a sincere study on my own. I have been a member for 33 years now. Unlike other Christian religions, there is no paid ministry in the LDS Church. Just regular people given opportunities to serve their Brother’s and Sister’s. Also, the Church leaders NEVER get involved in the lives of LDS member, nor counsel anyone, I mean anyone on their political views. The leaders would not try to influence Mitt Romney any way. If that were true, Harry Reid would have been excommunicated by now.

All this talk about Mitt Romney’s faith is sooooo 2008. The 2012 Presidential elections are coming up soon and people are still worried about his faith!? That’s pathetic.

Jared, we shouldn’t assume it will be, 2012, “sooooo 2008″; we should prepare for it to be just as large. My prediction, however, is that whereas it was a 5/10 in 2008, it will be a 2/10 in 2012, which means, below the radar for the overwhelming majority of GOP voters (and certainly voters in a general election).

I can not understand for the life of me, why any one would question Mitts religion, It has made him who is is and what he stands for, and made him a much better person than he would have been with no religion. We need Mitt so bad for so many reasons. The economy being one of the most important. No one knows more about that than Mitt. He is every thing a good Pres. should be. He for sure has my vote.

Jared..it needs to be talked about before 2012. Huckabee will talk about it. He already is. His followers will believe every word he says. He managed to cause a problem last time, and he will do it again, so lets set things straight now. Uneducated people are easily led sheep, so lets educate them. Most Christians of other denominations are clueless when it comes to Mormons, and they believe everything their preachers tell them…things like: Mormons are a cult. They are not Christian….. these people follow, and then spread the word. Ignorant people do not search out the truth for themselves. But they do defend what they think they know, and always what their preacher tells them.

let the huckabites talk about it…it will appear petty…Mitt is the best person–economy–jobs–turnaround–success.
Repeat after me–jobs jobs jobs. Mitt knows and understands the economic world better than any other candidate.

If he gets a question in a debate about his favorite color, he needs to answer: the economy.
If he gets a question about anything, he must answer it: the economy. Jobs. The economy. Jobs.

Everything else is just noise.

Juan, to quote “Rev”. Jeremiah Wright, “no no no.”

Don’t assume anything other than the worst. Expect the “petty” to be a big deal, and prepare for it. Hope for the best; expect the worst!

Mr. Romney’s faith will be an issue again. Time will tell how big an issue his faith will be, but some votes will swing based on his being part of LDS.

One problem will be people in evangelical churches who see LDS as a cult and have pushed that idea for years. To them, electing a Mormon president would seem too much like validating a denomination that they think is completely wrong. Many still believe that God wants them to fight Mormonism as if they are fighting any other spiritual battle. Enduring four more years of Obama is better for them than dishonoring God by helping to put a Mormon in the White House. The number of people who feel this way isn’t large, but they exist. Typically, they have been Republican voters in the general election, and they will vote Democrat or third-party if Mr. Romney is nominated. Many of them are the type who don’t bother to vote in the primaries. Some will be moved to vote against Mr. Romney in the primaries, but many won’t pay that much attention until the general election.

Another problem will be liberals and secularists who are bothered by the strict and sincere way that they see Mormons practicing their faith. We are used to seeing folks in other denominations who aren’t that serious about living the details of their churches’ stands on various issues. These people will feel a bit uncomfortable about electing someone from a denomination where they think everyone follows the church’s teachings very closely. In addition, the Mormon church is seen as a force for traditional values and against things like homosexuality. Electing someone who seems to be a moderate Baptist wouldn’t bother them, but electing a Mormon may seem to be “non-inclusive” towards homosexuals and others who advocate for policies that most Mormons would vote against. Again, the number of people who would let this problem change their vote isn’t that great, but they exist. Many of them will be primary voters who will look elsewhere in the primaries. In the general election, most will probably vote for the nominee in spite of any misgivings.

The only thing that we can do is make the best case for Mr. Romney based on the qualities that he can bring to the job. For many people, those qualities will outweigh any concerns they have about his religion. Almost every candidate has some issue in his or her life that will turn off voters this way. For Mr. Romney, religion may also draw Mormons to support his campaign more enthusiastically than they would a candidate who wasn’t a part of their faith.

The way I see it is that this country is ready for a
principled man who doesn’t shy away from his beliefs and those are
embodied in the ethics and beliefs and abilities of Mitt Rommney.
We have tried experiments with people who touted one thing then
became another, who lacked integrity and who used their race as
their religion and dare us to accept their incompetence. It is time
for Mitt Rommney to lead us bacvk into being THE superpower we must
be internally and in the world today.

Bill, thank you for the thoughtful comment, and Happy 2011!

I agree with you, except that the “liberals and secularists” aspect of what write, at least in degree of effect. The same “liberals and secularists” who would object to a Mormon Presidential candidate will, with nearly 100% certainty, object to every other GOP Presidential candidate. Moreover (and this is one of the fascinating aspects of Mitt Romney), because he was Governor of Massachusetts, and “nothing bad happened,” the number of “liberals and secularists” who will object to Romney will possibly be lower than it would be for, e.g., the former governor of Texas, or even Florida. Of course, this cuts the other way in the GOP primary.

I am Jewish, so it’s always interesting to compare how a Mormon will/would fare with someone of my background; the prejudice of having gone down the “wrong” (huge quotation marks, please!) Christian path v. having stopped with the Rabbis…

My guess is that at this point, by a factor of at least three, Mitt Romney’s biggest challenge is addressing his relationship with healthcare rather than explaining/making people comfortable with his faith. What’s interesting is that both the faith, and healthcare issues existed in 2008, but their meaning and significance are now utterly different.

Bos–I like what you write about taking a hard look at Romney. Too many lazily accept at face value what the pundits and the rivals say as truth. The primary will be tough for this reason. The pundits are saying things that are not true but repeated enough they become true to the masses.

Things like Romney is a RINO which I shudder to write because I cannot think of one position he holds that is not conservative or Republican in nature. Things like Obama care is the same as Romney’s health insurance reform which a hard look would easily expose the huge difference just in the magnitude of it alone.

Now the pundits are not saying Mormons are not Christian but they are trying to fan the flames of religious bigotry because they hope it will enliven the election. They keep saying things like evangelicals will be a problem, southern states will not support Romney, evangelicals don’t trust Romney on social issues, etc. All this to egg on the faction of evangelicals who do pose religious tests to a candidate counter the the constitution.

How I wish everyone would take the “hard look” that you suggest so they can see the truth and not the version of it put out there by lazy or cunning mediaites.

“As far as I’m concerned, the answer to the Mormon faith question for Mitt Romney in 2012 is, been there, done that. I believe it’s only an ongoing issue for those folks with a personal agenda or those who would prefer one of the other candidates instead.”

Well said.

I really don’t care if a Conservative candidate is Jewish, Buddhist, LDS, Catholic, Zoroastrians, Protestant, Hindu, Evangelical, or etc. I care more about their qualifications, political positions and their plan for our country’s future.

Hopefully, many people feel that way too or will begin to see the light that religious affiliation is secondary to a candidate’s qualifications, political positions and vision for America.

Thanks Steven, and Happy New Year to you as well!

I agree with what you said about liberals and secularists outside the Republican Party. Many of them will object to Mr. Romney less than they would another Republican. In part, they would appreciate his reasoned approach to life. In part, they would see that Massachusetts didn’t become a Mormon theocracy (just as you noted).

I would worry more about the ones in the Republican Party. While Mr. Romney would seemingly be a fit for “country club Republicans” because of his wealth and business connections, the Mormonism might be a problem for some of them. Some of them will be looking for another candidate in the primary. In 2008, they had Rudy Giuliani. They may not have an obvious candidate this year. Mitch Daniels’s comment about calling a truce on cultural issues might draw them to his campaign. Tim Pawlenty and John Thune seem less connected to the religious conservatives than some others. The good news is that these people should vote party line in the general election.

I agree that addressing healthcare will be the bigger factor, and I agree with a factor of three being a lowest estimate of that factor. As long as we’re on that topic, I’m going to pound my favorite point. Everyone will be thoroughly tired of me saying this within just a few months. The Massachusetts legislature that passed the bill that Governor Romney signed was over 85% Democrat. No matter how much skill Governor Romney had in working across the aisle, a bill written by an 85% Democrat legislature will not be a great bill. Furthermore, Governor Romney vetoed eight sections of the bill, and the legislature overrode all eight vetoes. If those vetoes had remained in place, the effect of the law could be very different. We need to make this point to anyone who will listen.