Posted on 12/20/2011 8:30:13 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Evangelical minster Franklin Graham said voters should look past a candidate’s personal religion when considering whom they should support for office. Graham offered his advice in a recent interview with The Christian Broadcasting Network when asked if Christians could vote for someone who is a Mormon.
“Yes, the fact that Mitt Romney is a Mormon doesn’t bother me at all,” Graham told CBN.
Two candidates seeking the GOP nomination for president who are Mormons are Romney and Jon Huntsman. They are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Graham said voters should select a candidate who is most qualified, beyond anything else.
“You can have the nicest guy and he can be a Christian and just wonderful but have absolutely no clue as to how to run a country, you don’t want that … Mitt Romney is a very capable fellow, I know him. I know Newt Gingrich, another capable person; Michele Bachmann, a very capable lady; Rick Santorum, I like a lot, very gifted guy, a very sharp person and so there are some good candidates out there.”
Graham’s primary concern about the 2012 election is that he feels the country is heading in the wrong direction, saying the next election is “the most critical election of my lifetime.”
The evangelist sees the direction of the country as the number one priority for the next president.
“Our country is heading on the wrong course,” said Graham. “There are millions and millions of people out there that are out of work and there are people out there now that have been out of work so long they are not even looking for work because they are so discouraged.”
Praying for our leaders and our country is what Graham suggested of Christians, saying that irrespective of political party, the country needs elected officials “who will put God’s standards above everything else and who will take us back to the God of our fathers.”
“[O]ur country is going in the wrong direction and we need to make a change.”
Romney, who has picked up the endorsement of several mainstream Republicans – most notably former Kansas Senator Bob Dole and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley – has also secured the endorsement of Iowa’s leading newspaper, The Des Moines Register, over the weekend.
Although some polls have shown Gingrich behind both Romney and Texas Congressman Ron Paul, the most recent Gallup poll released on Monday shows that Romney and Gingrich are neck and neck going into the final weeks before the Iowa caucuses, with Romney at 26 percent and Gingrich at 24 percent.
It doesn’t “bother” me either but I still wouldn’t vote for him because of it.
Personally, I can vote for a Mormon for President because I am not voting for a pastor, I am voting for a leader.
It isn’t Romney’s religion that bothers me but his POLITICS and his tendency to say anything anyone wants to hear just to get elected.
Between Mormon Senator Mike Lee and Mormon Mitt Romney, I’d vote for the former if given the chance.
Personally, I can vote for a Mormon for President because I am not voting for a pastor, I am voting for a leader.
It isn’t Romney’s religion that bothers me but his POLITICS and his tendency to say anything anyone wants to hear just to get elected.
Between Mormon Senator Mike Lee and Mormon Mitt Romney, I’d vote for the former if given the chance.
Unfortunately, his liberalism does...
Amen to that! Mike Lee is far more representaive of your typical Mormon voter than Mitt Romney.
Frankling Graham is also far more representative of your typical Protestant pastor than the lunatic fringe which rants about Mormons on this forum. I'll bet they will be here before 10 more posts.
Well, his father said that Hitlery would make a good president. I think the Graham family should step back and find out why they’ve left the real God out of their preachings and not the mormon gods and big-time criminals like Hillary.
It doesn’t “bother” me either but I still wouldn’t vote for him because of it.
I do not like Romney. If Romney gets the nomination it’s going to be interesting to see how many don’t vote for the Mormon and allow the Commie Muslim to continue his vile occupation.
In that scenario it's six one way, half a dozen the other.
It doesn’t bother me either. I’m not voting for preacher.
However, I’m not voting for Romney for a different reason. He’s untrustworthy.
Look, you may not like that we disagree with mormon tenets and all that and that we are quite vocal about it, but I've yet to see you do anything other than throw ad hominems around in response, or as in this case, a pre-emptive strike, to our "rants".
My "Protestant pastor" [Grace Chapel] does not share Mr. Graham's view on mormonism, so for that, I'm grateful. When talking to him and trying to "unlearn" that which I was taught as a mormon, it's quite helpful to have someone who understands the difficulties one goes through.
It's also helpful that he is not willing to "compromise" when it comes to the Word of God as found in the Bible.
Here’s the template:
“You Tea-Partiers,
You don’t like Obama? then you must be RACIST!!!
You don’t like Rmoney? then you must be a BIGOT!!!”
We’re in a no-win situation.
If Rmoney is the nominee, I’ll be scouting out with a telescope a 3rd party...
His Mormonism does not bother me either. But his policies and politics damn sure do.
Franklin Graham put some good sense into this issue. I agree with him.
The real lunatics are the mormons who believe they will become gods some day, have their own celestial harem and populate a planet. Talk about CRAZY!
Kind of like how the voters didn't mind Obama's muslim past, especially the Jewish voters. Look how that bit them in the ass......
So, obviously, Graham has no problem with Romney signing several Abortion on demand bills!
Then Romney turns around and claims he supports the “Right to life”, that is, after he legalizes the killing of countless innocent lives in his own state.
You know, “to please those Democrat votes in a state that is 80% Democrat.” You know, to “reach across the isle in compromise”. You know, to show that he is “flexible” and able to see “both sides”.
You know, Mitt Romney........
And Graham is a hypocrite. Christian? By the fruits of their deeds, you will know them.......
Put this in perspective my friend... Franklin Graham is not saying he isn’t bothered by Romney’s political stances, he is simply saying that a candidate’s MORMONISM ( emphasis ) does not bother him.
You seem to have the same problem the media does. Blaming “anti-Mormonism” for what can more correctly be defined as anti- rhino, big government, elitist, progressive, socialism.
Romney’s religion is way down the list of reasons why conservatives & Christians find him unacceptable. It is likely number 6 or 7 on the list but it doesn’t really matter as 1-5 sealed the deal long before his religion is even considered. Most apologists prefer to focus on the “religious bigotry” aspect to avoid actually dealing with why Romney is unacceptable.
* notnin order of importance
1. Abortion/pro life
2. Homosexual “rights”
3. Illegal immigration/legal immigration/Borders
4. Government Healthcare
5. 2nd Amendment
6. Taxes/”Fees”
7. Judges
8. Probably several more very valid reasons
9. Temple Mormon
Having Temple Mormon on the list doesn’t invalidate 1-7.
There is nothing wrong with theological disagreement. There is everything wrong with taking it to the extremes of the political/religious orthodoxies which led to the Salem witch trials.
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