Well, please review the chart I placed in post #32. Then ask yourself (& I would challenge anybody, be it Mormon defender or Protestant) to: Please show us where the Pope has made similar spiritual-political imposing statements such as what you find from Lds leaders there. In this way, more vigilance is needed, especially since Romney is now asking opposing candidates to repudiate the religious beliefs of all who endorse them. [He hasn't yet called upon "all" -- but the precedent is now there; what he is applying to one Baptist pastor applies to us all...we either stand in solidarity with the pastor or look out if Romney gets to the White House!].
Salvation by faith alone and sola scriptura are as pernicious in my opinion as Mormon tritheism or some of their other beliefs. Nontheless, I don’t let that decide who I am voting for.
Well, that's your choice as to what influences your vote.
I have probably stated now 20 times or more on FR going back to '07 that, and I repeat: Religion IS NOT a qualification for public office; but it's certainly is one quality of voter discernment among many others...namely, voting record, present position statements & rampant inconsistency of past position statements, social issues' stances, character, viability, scandal-free past, etc.
I certainly advocate that voters take all of the above -- and more -- into consideration.
Now if you are merely exposing your own vantage point that YOU don't take religion into consideration, fine. That's the way I take your comment of "I don’t let that decide who I am voting for."
If you mean going beyond that (& I don't think you do), but stating this more for other posters than yourself...then you are going beyond exposing your vantage point and start to instead impose it upon others.
And I would say, based upon this Rasmussen poll from 5 years ago (late 2006) [see Election 2008: 43% Would Never Vote for Mormon Candidate (Rasmussen Poll) -- that your perspective doesn't even come close to representing the majority of Republicans.
According to an excerpt from that article: The Rasmussen Reports survey found that 35% say that a candidate's faith and religious beliefs are very important in their voting decision. Another 27% say faith and religious beliefs are somewhat important. Ninety-two percent (92%) of Evangelical Christian voters consider a candidate's faith and beliefs important. On the partisan front, 78% of Republicans say that a candidate's faith is an important consideration, a view shared by 55% of Democrats. However, there is also a significant divide on this topic within the Democratic Party. Among minority Democrats, 71% consider faith and religious beliefs an important consideration for voting. Just 44% of white Democrats agree.
So…what % of the following groups found that a candidate’s faith and religious beliefs are an important consideration for voting?
(1) Americans: 62%
(2) Evangelical Christians: 92%
(3) Republicans: 78%
(4) Democrats: 55% [still a majority]
So at least for FREEPERS (beyond you rzman) who might be tempted to "carp" @ such voters who take religious worldviews of a candidate into consideration...please be aware that you're carping vs. 60% of Americans...90% of Evangelical Christians...3/4 of Republicans and over half of Democrats!
Like I said, if Romney was such a good moral man, and such a good moral Morman, why did he advocate murdering the unborn for the majority of his political life and why did he support same sex “marriages” in the state of Mass? The Morman Church is against this liberal nonsense. Why is Romney never asked why he went against the teaching of his faith??? That is what conservatives should be worried about. He’s a democrat in republicans clothing and in this day and age of the Tea Party and trying to get REAL CONSERVATIVES elected, why are so many people bowing down to the liberal media and annointing Romney are the GOP nominee for president. THis is crazy. He should be ran out of the Republican Party. His RomneyCare WAS THE MODEL for ObamaCare and so far not a one of the other candidates have held his feet to the fire over it. He bankrupted the state of Mass with his massive socialist programs.