Posted on 08/30/2012 8:26:26 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
Of the hundreds of stories I have seen on Mitt Romney's choice of Catholic Paul Ryan as his running mate, there is one aspect of the choice that is historic and of which I have not seen any mention. The Romney-Ryan ticket will be the first in the history of the country that does not include a member of one of the mainline Protestant denominations.
I qualify Protestant with "mainline" because there is some issue about whether Mormonism, Romney's faith, is a Protestant denomination. Some use the term Protestant to mean any Christian denomination that is not Catholic. However, while Mormonism and the traditional Protestant denominations share many beliefs, there are sharp divergences, especially regarding the Mormon belief that Joseph Smith supplemented the Bible with the Book of Mormon and that Jesus appeared to the American Indians after his resurrection. One poll found that 75 percent of Protestant clergy do not consider Mormons to be Christians, much less fellow Protestants. Also, a number of Mormon bloggers assert that Mormons are not Protestants.
But regardless of how one defines Protestant, a ticket made up of a Mormon and a Catholic is unprecedented in presidential politics. About 186 men and two women have stood for election as president and/or vice-president. About 85 percent of these have been members of a mainline Protestant church. Episcopalians and Presbyterians lead, with about 40 percent of the candidates coming from one of those two denominations. There are about 20 candidates for whom I could not find a religious affiliation. There were only about a dozen that claimed membership in a non-Protestant religion, with most of those being Catholic. Only one Jew (Joe Lieberman) and one Greek Orthodox (Michael Dukakis) have been candidates.
So for the current Republican ticket to have no mainline Protestants is unprecedented
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
....About 186 men and two women have stood for election as president and/or vice-president. About 85 percent of these have been members of a mainline Protestant church. Episcopalians and Presbyterians lead, with about 40 percent of the candidates coming from one of those two denominations. There are about 20 candidates for whom I could not find a religious affiliation. There were only about a dozen that claimed membership in a non-Protestant religion, with most of those being Catholic. Only one Jew (Joe Lieberman) and one Greek Orthodox (Michael Dukakis) have been candidates.
And they will probably set the precedent for losing to the most unpopular president of all time.
Biden is Catholic. What mainline protestant denomination is Obama? I am pretty sure Rev Wright’s black liberation is not mainline protestant? I am wrong?
I don’t care what any candidate’s religion - or skin color are. I care about what they believe and what kind of person they are.
Mormonism is not Christian. It is a heretical, anti-Trinitarian sect, a false, made-up religion.
But that does not mean a Mormon could not do a good job in a secular political office. I will be voting for one for President in November.
Nope.
**The Romney-Ryan ticket will be the first in the history of the country that does not include a member of one of the mainline Protestant denominations.**
Old news. This has been mentioned.
What about the 2008 Democratic ticket?
Black liberation theology (which is what is taught in Wright’s church where Obama was a member) is as far away from mainline Christianity (Catholic or Protestant)as Mormonism.
Biden is Catholic.
Since when is Rev. Wright “mainstream Protestantism?”
The WASPS all signed a mutual suicide pact in about 1925.
Good Point.
So it’s not the precedent for not having a protestant. Maybe that’s why the GOP-e went for this ticket. They seem to be in “Me Too” model. Maybe a Mormon/Catholic ticket was as close to a Muslim/Catholic ticket as they could get.
DING, DING, DING -- thread is done, we have a winner. Second Place for any other poster that can specifically cite DManA's historical reference and why it can be viewed as mutual suicide pact. I'll be pleasantly surprised if there is a correct post inside of the next 30 minutes on this.
Outlawry?
I believe the reference is to the National Council of Churches but my research is coming up dry on the 1925 date as to a specific occurrence that year. My apologies to all as my memory and assumption has achieved the usual results of most assumptions. JMO - since most “mainline” Protestant churches have signed on to the NCC pablum rather than the “Faith of our Fathers”, you can chart their significant loss of membership as they took on increasingly liberal/non-Biblical positions.
Thanks T-Bird. If that is the reference, mutual suicide pact indeed.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.