Posted on 10/07/2011 7:45:17 PM PDT by LouAvul
The pastor who introduced Texas Gov. Rick Perry at a conservative gathering Friday said rival presidential candidate Mitt Romney is not a Christian and is in a cult because he is a Mormon.
Robert Jeffress, the senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Dallas, made similar remarks about Romney when he ran in the 2008 campaign. Event organizers at the Values Voters Summit selected Jeffress to introduce Perry, but the Perry campaign was consulted about the choice and approved Jeffress to introduce the Texas governor.
Jeffress endorsed Perry at the event and introduced him as "a proven leader, a true conservative, and a committed follower of Christ."
After his remarks, Jeffress told reporters that Perry's religion is different from Romney's.
"Rick Perry's a Christian. He's an evangelical Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ," Jeffress said. "Mitt Romney's a good moral person, but he's not a Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity. It has always been considered a cult by the mainstream of Christianity."
Romney is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are commonly called Mormons.
Perry and his campaign made clear that he disagrees with Jeffress.
Asked by reporters Friday night in Tiffin, Iowa, whether Mormonism is a cult, Perry replied, "No."
Earlier Friday, spokesman Mark Miner said that "the governor does not believe Mormonism is a cult."
Still, the campaign refused to definitively say whether they were accepting his offered endorsement. "The governor is running a campaign of inclusion and looks forward to receiving the endorsement of many people," Miner said. "People can endorse whoever they like."
Jeffress had made similar comments about Romney before, during the former Massachusetts governor's first presidential run in 2008.
"Mitt Romney is a Mormon, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise. Even though he talks about Jesus as his lord and savior, he is not a Christian," Jeffress said in a 2007 sermon. "Mormonism is not Christianity. Mormonism is a cult. And just because somebody talks about Jesus does not make them a believer."
In that sermon, Jeffress said he was frustrated that some religious leaders had backed Romney anyway. "What really distresses me is some of my ministerial friends, and even leaders in our convention, say, 'Well, he talks about Jesus, we talk about Jesus, what's the big deal?' It is a big deal."
The campaign initially said the decision to have Jeffress introduce Perry had been made strictly by organizers, but a Perry spokesman told The Associated Press Friday night that the campaign had agreed to it.
"It was their suggestion; it was their choice of who introduced us. They asked our campaign what we thought, and we said OK," Miner said.
Jeffress is a prominent religious leader in Texas. His First Baptist Church has more than 10,000 members. In 2009, Perry recognized Jeffress by name during his speech at a dinner for the Light of Life dinner and gala in Dallas.
Well Tulsa...
SO?
The man had an opinion and he expressed it.
Well i don’t know about a “cult”, but they definitely are not Christian.
You cannot control what your supporters say, but here’s hoping these two RINOs destroy one another.
Romney is a member of the cult religion of Climate Change.
Perry is a toasty Taco, Herman Cain is 20 points ahead of Romney. Perry has a ranch with “Ni$$erhead “ on a rock at the gate and he approved illegals getting in state tuition at the great Universities in Texas !! You can’t make this aggie cheerleader up!! He is politically gone!!! (we haven’t even got to his sexual stuff and his transfer of money from taxpayers to his buddy in Houston). He is Bye Bye.
I think a more actual headline sould be that Tulsa’s channel 8 and other ‘news sources’ prefer to paint and smear with the ugly brush and poke with chit stirring sticks, rather than report on the issues/positions of the candidates.
As much as I don’t really like Perry, this guy is right. Mormonism fits all 3 disciplinary definitions of a cult: anthropological, sociological, and theological.
Yeah, that is what I do not understand. There are SO many indisputable grounds to attack and destroy Romney. Why go for something as tedious to most people, so nebulous and so irrelevant as his asserted religious beliefs?
That’s fine, I will head off to Gingrich if Perry doesn’t step it up. I’ll pass on Cain, thanks.
One of the many reasons Romney is unelectable. That is precisely the view many if not most Christians have of Mormonism. Pricisely as this article reads.
The base of Christian conservatives will not trust him or vote for him, and he’s a Republican which means none of the Dems will vote for him either. What does that leave for a voting block in the general elecion? 30-some percent of POTENTIAL voters being the maximum possible and going down from there? The election will be a battle of which party has more people NOT vote compared to the other. We can’t win that fight, the Dems can fraud the numbers in every state to make up the difference. We must have massive turnout, nothing else will get it done. Romney has a 0% chance of getting massive Republican voter turnout. He cannot by his own past political stances and his current religion get a good turnout going across the entire Republican voting base. Simple fact, love it or hate it there is no way to change it by the election. Romney is not the guy.
Now look at where Herman Cain is right now... it’s because OUR 20% base is fully on board with his message right now, plus a good chunk of the the middle and those who consider themselves Libertarian due to his message.
Absolutely no contest in terms of the size of the voting pool he can appeal to.
And to be fair I’m not locking down to one candidate this race, if Perry is the man so be it, but even Perry reaches more of our voters by far.
The N-Head issue is nothing but a tempest in a teapot. Besides, Cain played the race card against Perry on that.
Perry didn't approve in-state tuition. The Texas state legislature passed it 177 to 4.
Perry may be on the ropes, but he's fighting like hell and that $17.1 million he raised in just 49 days will go along way in advancing his campaign. A good debate next week at Dartmouth and Perry is back in the saddle again.
Why go for something as tedious to most people, so nebulous and so irrelevant as his asserted religious beliefs?
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IMO, Romney’s religion is a valid issue, it determines his worldview and the culture and frankly, also affects his political stances and his flip flopping.
Also, this is just the tip of the iceburg if (God forbid) Romney gets the nomination. If he makes it to the general, the MSM will make it all about Romney’s Mormonism.
Since when has religion become a reason to vote for or against a candidate? This is becoming an obsession with some here at FreeRepublic.
Do you really want Obama for another term?
Perry, in response, said that he does not believe Romney is a member of a cult. A lot of FReepers will be disappointed in Perry for saying that.
If believing that Jesus Christ is my Savior makes me a member of a cult, I am guilty as charged. If believing in Jesus Christ, that He suffered and died for me to save me from my sins, makes me NOT a Christian, I am guilty as charged. P.S. I thank my Heavenly Father that this pastor is not my judge; he is not qualified or authorized to condemn anyone to hell. He looks just plain silly and makes Perry look bad, too.
How about this. Make a rational case FOR Perry based on his Presidential Agenda.
OH but that right. He has yet to tell us what it would be.
So you would rather support a guy who whole campaign consists of continually telling us "Vote for me I am a great guy from Texas" then one who is offering a solid Conservative agenda with real solutions to problems.
I don't have anything against Mormons no more than I do the people attending the Buddhist Temple up town. Good people doing good things. But not Christian.
No he did not. So how about this. Instead of recklessly smearing the other candidate, tell us why we should vote for Perry. Tell us what Perry's Presidential agenda and plans are. Oh but that right, Perry hasn't bothered to tell anyone what he plans. His whole campaign amounts to "vote for me I am a great guy from Texas".
Perry better prepare himself for the question to be coming his way at the next debate Tuesday. It is the perfect gotcha question. No matter how he answers it he is going to be in hot water with one group or another.
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