Posted on 10/30/2007 12:08:40 PM PDT by delacoert
Sometimes things happen in American politics that make no sense at all. We are experiencing just one of those moments in the 2008 presidential campaign.
I thought that the concept of a religious test for public office in our country was put to bed once and for all when John Kennedy, a Catholic, was elected president in 1960 and Joe Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew, was nominated for vice president in 2000.
Now we have a candidate with a record of accomplishment, Mitt Romney, who is consistently lagging in the polls with the most credible reason being that significant numbers of Republican primary voters will not support him because of his Mormon religion.
When voters, particularly in the South, are asked to identify candidates that they would not support for president under any circumstances, Romney leads the list. Romney is rejected as a potential presidential candidate in this type polling more often than other polarizing figures such as Rudy Giuliani. It has become increasingly clear that many conservative voters will not support an otherwise qualified candidate who happens to be a Mormon.
As a Democrat, I wouldn’t vote for Romney in the general election if he is nominated by the Republican Party. But I’ll be damned if I can understand why he should be disqualified from seeking his party’s nomination because of his religion. This makes no logical sense in the world’s greatest democracy in the 21st century.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
placemark
I'm not sure it's "most Americans". It may be "most Protestants". Certainly some congregations are more vocally anti-Mormon than others. Here in Katy, TX the Catholic and Mormon churches have a combined Christmas concert every year. They agree to disagree on some points of doctrine while agreeing on the teachings that bind Christians together.
For accurate information on LDS doctrine and why Mormons believe they are Christian, here are links to the teachings of two LDS Church leaders from the LDS General Conference on October 6-7, 2007:
The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent, by LDS Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland: HTML Text, MP3 Audio, or WMV Video.Other formats and languages and other LDS General Conference talks are available here.The Stone Cut Out of the Mountain, by LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley: HTML Text, MP3 Audio, or WMV Video.
There will be many who will share their opinions about LDS doctrine from a non-LDS (or anti-LDS) perspective. If you have questions after reviewing any of this, Mormon.org offers the ability to ask questions by email or anonymous online chat.
BTW, Romney is not at the top of my list, Hunter is. I'm still looking at Romney & Thompson. I have no interest in the rest. There are not any without blemish - but then I'm not either.
I particularly loved this comment:
Bob Bilyeu: “The Mormon faith is a hierarchal organization. There are leaders who expect to be obeyed, and church law that is considered to supersede civil law. Would you feel comfortable electing a person to civil office if you believed that they would then answer to this alternative power structure, rather than to civil law?”
And certain Freepers think there are only a few of us who oppose Romney. It is a larger movement than they want to believe.
Frosty was trolling for ammo to use if Mitt gets the nomination. He is as devious a democrat as you will ever see, as proven with his time leading the Dem Congressional Caucus and the rise of the insidious form of leftist politics now dominating the DNC congressional races.
Agreed. Also, you cannot compare being a Mormon to being Roman Catholic or Jewish. There are no secrets to being either of those. I don’t trust any religion, whether it be Mormonism or Scientology or whatever, that has secret rites.
Yep, but this is interesting because it illuminates part of what Mitt would run up against if he were to gain the nomination. The dems would eat him up.
Oh shut up. I’m so sick of the religious angle on Romney. I don’t support him because he’s a flip-flop artist from Massachusetts. I think he’s a crypto-lib who will say anything to get elected and I trust him about as far as I can throw Rosie O’Donut.
Amy King: “You’d better believe that I refuse to vote for a man without the personal character to withdraw from a racist, sexist organization, and I’m very nervous about turning over the most powerful office in the world to a man who thinks he’s going to become a god and collect trophy wives in the Celestial Kingdom.”
Boo Hoo ...
Maybe if he were not pro choice and pro gun control a scant few years ago he would be doing better.. I wont vote for Trudy but at least he is honest about his positions..
You must have a small circle of friends.
OTOH...
Many people WILL vote for him JUST because he is a Mormon!
Good representative sample of letters in that column. Romney is a one way ticket to Hillary country. Romney can’t win.
“Good representative sample of letters in that column. Romney is a one way ticket to Hillary country. Romney can’t win.”
But he could win the primary. However, the letters hint that there are at least 3% of Repubs who just will never pull the Mitt lever, which is likely the winning margin necessary for the general.
Oh shut up.
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