There seems to be a conflation of a couple of issues in this article. The first issue is whether or not folks would vote for Mr. Romney, taking into account his religious affiliation. The second is the position of the LDS church in relationship to Christianity.
A third issue might be religious bigotry toward LDS folks.
Regarding the first issue, myself, if I thought that Mr. Romney were actually a sincere social conservative, I’d vote for him. I couldn’t care less about his religious affiliation. I won’t refuse to vote for him because he’s a Mormon, but rather because he’s a fraud.
However, as a Catholic, I agree with the Church’s teaching, and with the beliefs of most Christian ecclesial communities, that the LDS church is not a Christian church or ecclesial community, and that it doesn’t hold to a Christian theology. I don’t want to have a big debate over this, I just want to point out that this is the sincere belief of most Christian communities the world over.
Ironically, the LDS church used to be a bit more pronounced in proclaiming its own view that it is the rest of us whose theology is fundamentally false and apostasized. So, I’m not sure that LDS folks have much of a complaint to make that we believe that the LDS church isn’t Christian, as LDS teaching is that our beliefs are apostasy from true Christianity.
The third issue is religious bigotry. I think that folks can be anti-Romney without being anti-LDS. I also think that folks can be anti-LDS without being bigoted toward the LDS and its members. Although I don’t believe a word of LDS teaching that differs from the teaching of the Catholic Church, I don’t view myself as an anti-LDS bigot. I just think that the LDS is wrong. Very wrong.
Nonetheless, I’m cool with Mormons generally as persons.
“Nonetheless, I’m cool with Mormons generally as persons.”
Gee, thanks.
The "bigot" word gets thrown around a lot nowadays...you can't make a salient point in a debate without someone labeling you a bigot. The left has taught many that they can discredit your point by discrediting you.