Posted on 01/21/2012 6:16:43 PM PST by delacoert
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Does Mitt Romney’s Mormonism matter in South Carolina, a state with a large evangelical population? The consensus seems to be that it’s not a particularly big factor. Tony Perkins, President of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, said Thursday after the debate that he had not heard a lot about it since coming to South Carolina. But two of the first people The Daily Caller spoke to at an event at Tommy’s Hamhouse in Greenville, where both Romney and Newt Gingrich made appearances Saturday morning, brought it up, and not as a positive.
For Chuck Hofstra, Romney’s religion is flat out a “deal killer.”
“I like a lot about Romney, I get a lot of positives … but you know, his faith of Mormonism … I mean, they do not believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, that he is the son of God. And if you take away the deity of the son of God, who died for our sins to forgive us of our sins, all he is is just a mere historical figure then,” said Hofstra.
“That is a huge difference between somebody who believes he’s Jesus Christ, the son of God, co-creator of the world, the Trinity, versus somebody who just thinks, ‘well he was a good man, a good prophet who walked here on earth, a historical figure, he’s a great man, but that’s the end of it.’ And see it’s just hard for me to vote for somebody who just doesn’t see the deity of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Hofstra, who said he probably wouldn’t end up voting in the primary because there was no one for whom he could vote “and be true to my own conscience and heart and beliefs,” said it was less about what particular denomination of Christianity he was, and more about his “personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.”
Hofstra brought up Romney’s religion up without any prompting.
Eley Vann, another attendee of the event, also brought it up unprompted.
Vann was undecided as of this morning, but said his decision would be between Gingrich and Romney.
He liked Romney, “even though I disagree with his — I’m not a Mormon. I’m a Christian and I think Mormonism is a cult.”
But, Vann went on to say, Romney’s religion was not a part of his decision.
“I like many principles of Mormonism. Mormonism is very pro-American, and you know, I would not hold his religion against him. I am looking for someone to help preserve this country, not a religious leader,” Vann said.
Of course, this is an utterly unscientific or conclusive study, and it would be inappropriate to draw conclusions from two discussions. But the fact that it came up unbidden is interesting, at the very least.
I am enjoying the exit poll analysis. The statistics on the "Does religion matter?" tells the story.
Only "hearing" the stats at this point - not "seeing" them posted on the web is frustrating.
The way those who answered "doesn't matter" broke in terms of Romney affiliation tells me those who say "Religion doesn't matter" are lying.
Lots of spinning tonight from the MSM and Romney camps.
How many more excuses are we going to be treated to tonight?
It is a big deal and it will kill Romney in a race with Obama. Romney with Obama means Obama wins another four years!
It is liberalism which is Myth’s problem not Mormonism.
He’s pulling about what he always pulled. They’re searching for excuses now.
I’m not a fan of Mormonism, but I don’t consider them any more condemned than any other non-believer running for office.
It is liberalism which is Myth’s problem not Mormonism.
Plenty. But that is exactly what Mormons believe. They DO NOT believe that Jesus Christ is God. They believe He is brothers with Satan. That WE can be just like Him, a God ourselves. Romney is big in the Mormon church. Thus, he believes all this anti-Jesus stuff. I am sick and tired of hearing the MSM portray him as a Christian. HE IS NOT a Christian!!! Mormons ARE NOT Christian. They cannot be because they do not believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Creator God, the Alpha and Omega! There is a web site called Bible Questions Answered at www.gotquestions.org. If you go there and simply search “what do Mormons believe, you get a ton of information regarding what they believe, and what and how their religion got invented by Smith.”
The media is clinging to their Book of Mormon trying to deny that Mitt’s liberalism is the reason for his rejection.
Everyone has repeatedly told me Mormonism would make no difference in the race.
And the press writes another Epstein...
CNN exit polls show that among those for whom the religion of the candidate is important, Gingrich bested Mittens by a staggering 40% - 8%.
As usual, the MSM refuses to admit the reason their candidates lose. It’s a pattern. They simply never will admit it.
Like the night McCain lost in 2000 in SC because “Bush lied about him”. No, it was because McCain came out and dissed evangelicals. Or the reason Obama lost in Southern states, because we are all “racists”.
Romney loses because conservatives DONT LIKE him. And we’ve taken the bit in our teeth and decided we aren’t going to let the MSM and RINO establishment “guide” us toward another Dole or McCain.
>>The statistics on the “Does religion matter?” tells the story.<<
.
If Romney becomes the GOP’s “Chosen One” it will be a matter of Islam vs Mormonism.
I agree. His Mormon faith is irrelevant.
Evidently his Mormonism is a problem.
I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact Romney has no principles. If he even had Mormon principles it would be a great improvement.
Yes, it is.
...not Mormonism
What? You have the utter gall to claim that if Newt or Rick Santorum announced Monday that they believed in multiple gods and were embyronic gods are their way to "godding" their own planet when they died that this wouldn't have ANY effect upon voters? [What true-belieiving Mormons believe]
Go on fantasizing that you're wearing a dark suit and are into heavy breathing...because that's also the socio-poliitical fantasy world you live in.
Idolatry is an "improvement?"
You are aware aren't you that a main Mormon tenet is that perhaps millions or thousands of Mormons are embryonic gods and will "god" their own planet?
And each time a Mormon male becomes a god peer and populates his own planet that those beings don't worship, adore, pray to, or praise the One True Ultimate God...thereby stealing all of that as a rival god...
You are aware, aren't you, that Judaism, Islam and Christianity all have a word for that...idolatry.
The MSM has been trying it’s hardest to convince the voting public that it’s wrong to consider a candidate’s religious affiliation, that only religious zealots let it affect their opinion of a candidate’s character and that hardly any American actually let it affect their opinion.
Well, the exits poles say different.
I think that whole lot of Americans have been cajoled by this constant media onslaught and the collective American consciousness has been set adrift from their religious/moral ethos.
and
... I’m sick of the elitized Republicans whose opinions have become tainted by the new, normal, politically correct way of thinking.
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