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President Romney even as a...

I had to stop there, kind of swish it around my mouth like a wine tasting. Hmmm...neither bitter nor foul vintage like President Giuliani, not spoiled by age or inconsistency like a President McCain.

Okay, colorcountry, you've convinced me. I could live with that name next to the title. Admittedly, any name other than Clinton or Bush sounds kind of good. It's time for history to resume.

The initial post was to signify that indeed Romney was an informed, knowledgeable, ecclisiastical LEADER. He isn’t just a participant, who blushes at the embarrassing aspects of Mormonism as George W. Bush suggested.

He really doesn't give the impression of being a super-Mormon or holding ulterior motives as you seem to suggest.

I don’t care how many of you want to tag-team me...

I wasn't aware we had tag-teamed you. Not my intent. This is political. If any of these Mormons made any improper ecumenical suggestions toward me, arms would be brandished and gunfire would likely follow. I am a Calvinistic Baptist after all. Our tendencies in this regard are well-known.

This is not ecumenizing. It is politics.

Are you trying to suggest Romney doesn’t understand Mormonism? Because that is what my post was addressing.

Romney is reported to be a truly voracious reader with a truly curious mind. I would be rather surprised if he hasn't consumed a half-dozen or more systematic theology texts on the major orthodox Christian denominations.

I think he knows what he believes and why. I think he knows what we believe and why. I think a man like him is pretty practical, maybe utilitarian, in his approach to religion. What I've seen of him reminds me of many practical men I know in this approach toward religion.

At any rate, I take the position of Spurgeon when asked what we Baptists were to do about proselytizing the Catholics and the Protestants. He said that we'd worry about them when we'd preached the Gospel to all those who had never heard it before.

It's still good advice. Governor Romney has virtually the same King James Bible I do. He can choose what to make of it and respond to God's calling and the teaching of His Spirit, the same as the rest of us. He is responsible to it, like any of us.

And that is good enough. Barring any clear agenda by him to promote Mormonism in office (not something he did as governor), his religion is not a factor in whether I will ultimately support him.

It is his reliability on adhering to and implementing the conservative party platform that is the standard. He has neither passed that test fully nor failed it yet. He is an attractive candidate and his merits as a candidate warrant a fair hearing.

I didn’t mean to suggest it was you who tagged-teamed me. I received several responses directed at what Mormons considered misquotes by me concerning Romney and his OFFICE of Stake President, and the Melchezedek Priesthood he holds.

They were trying to obsfucate in my opinion, with several of them responding to a non-issue.

You, good Baptist that you are, are entirely entitled to your opinion. If you choose to support Romney it is between you and God in the voting booth....I really don’t get to have any say now do I?

“And that is good enough. Barring any clear agenda by him to promote Mormonism in office (not something he did as governor), his religion is not a factor in whether I will ultimately support him.

It is his reliability on adhering to and implementing the conservative party platform that is the standard. He has neither passed that test fully nor failed it yet. He is an attractive candidate and his merits as a candidate warrant a fair hearing.”

I agree. Frankly, if he were to display a clear agenda to promote Mormonism while in office, I would be first in line to want him impeached. That’s a clear violation of the separation of Church and State; it would certainly fall within my view of the scope of High Crimes were he to purposefully violate the Constitution like that.

Still, it’s an academic debate; I just can’t see it happening.