It’s not about promoting a faith. It’s about not promoting a cult. There is a difference. Cults use people and create a stumbling block to the truth. They are not good. Would you vote for a Scientologist? A Moonie? Why not?
“By their fruits ye shall know them” - that’s why Romney doesn’t get into religious debates with people. He simply tells people to look at him and his family, and judge them, not their religion. My mother was horrified when I joined the LDS church as a teen, but as she watched me marry, (happily for 30 years now), raise five healthy, productive children, and stay in our home for months at a time she dropped those judgments. She never joined the church, we didn’t pressure her to, but she saw that we weren’t a cult and we weren’t the horrible people those who are uninformed want others to think we are. And I’m not promoting Mitt, I’m actually leaning toward Fred Thompson right now.
As you know, 'cult' is in the eye of the beholder. I'm quite sure there are some who would consider your faith a cult. (By the way, you carefully avoided revealing what your own faith is.) Perhaps if you would define the word 'cult' as you see it, your comment would make more sense. But cult as I term it (a religion that requires the worship of a man) doesn't classify Mormons as a cult.
Would you vote for a Scientologist? A Moonie? Why not?
Yes, if they held the appropriate positions on issues and had the background in politics to show their words and actions are the same. I'm not aware of any Scientologists or Moonie's running for President, so I can't comment on any specific person.
Just so you know, Mitt is not my top pick for a candidate - but it is because his political background does not match the conservative words he is now using. It has nothing to do with his Mormonism.