I’m a spiritual, faith-based and church going individual. I was raised Lutheran, while in Washington I attended series of different Christian faiths to find a Minister that had consistently uplifting message and it turned out to be a Methodist. I’ve been to Temple on numerous occasions with Jewish friends and have found good messages from Rabbi’s as well as Ministers. Now that I am based in Chicago I attend the Fourth Presbyterian Church on Michigan Avenue because the Reverend finds a way to be relevant to current events and it is a positive place of reflection and motivation for me. But that’s just me. Just me. My faith, how I practice it and what I believe – yup, it’s just me. Do you care? Should you care? I’m just a commentator and writer – would you care if I ran for office?
There are all these questions on faith that are being raised in this diverse presidential campaign but why? Perhaps it’s the same reason why so much was made out of President John F. Kennedy’s Catholicism. But not nearly as much was made of President Nixon being a Quaker – but then again they are the “Society of Friends.” What - Mormon’s aren’t friendly?
I am really perplexed on the whole role of faith in politics and I’m no expert on faith beyond how I was raised and what it means to me. I’m accepting of all religions and appreciate each for a sense of purpose they bring into one’s life. I have always thought of religion’s role in politics was actually quite simple. I assumed most voters just want their candidate to have faith – to believe in something bigger then himself or herself. Perhaps that’s too pedestrian of me because polls are actually showing quite the opposite. 
Looks like a lot is stacked against Governor Mitt Romney. Now, I’m not voting for Romney, not because of his religion but because of his record as Governor and his stance social issues. But that’s just me – for others his religion is proving to be the problem.
According to Newsweek, 25% of registered voters could not vote for a Mormon even if they were qualified for the job and nominated by their own party. NBC News Wall Street Journal found that 53% of voters overall were very uncomfortable or have reservation voting for a candidate who is Mormon. Wow, are we that closed minded as Americans about the Mormons? Or are we skeptical of this particular candidate Governor Mitt Romney who happens to be Mormon.
Well, in general here is how Mormonism stacked up to the rest of the religions polled by Fox News Channel.
Registered voters who said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate for president who is:
53% less likely to vote for a Scientologist
50% …Atheist
45% …Muslim
32% …Mormon
24% …Member of the Christian Coalition
10% …Roman Catholic
10% …Jewish
6% …Protestant
So I guess the above poll would tell us that some voters can find fault with almost any religion but I’m surprised that Mormonism rounds out the bottom 4 among the Atheists. I mean aside from the Polygamy and the whole Jesus Christ returning somewhere in Kansas, I’ve never heard of a radical Mormon and I have great friends and former colleagues that were Mormons – and guess what they still worked really hard!
I don’t want to infringe on anyone here by making light of any one religion because that’s not my point today. The point I’d like to make is that we’re not as closed-minded as these various polls make us look. That we can judge people based on merits but not just on religion. I don’t think Al Gore lost as many votes on his ticket for Joe Lieberman being Jewish as he did for Joe Lieberman being – well Joe Lieberman.
So, I’m looking to the Gather community instead of the media and their polls to tell me what role YOU think Faith has in the 2008 Presidential Election.
I’m curious and excited to hear what you think.
Thank you for joining in this hot conversation!
God Bless,
Laura
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Comments: 41
Very interesting Laura, Thank you
When politicians present either their belief in religion or their interest in any segment of the religious scene, I believe they are no more religiously motived than if they were endorsing or showing interest in P&G, Ford, GM, or even Google for that matter. What they are after is the money and potential voters represented by their involvement with these groups.
On the other hand, if a politician distances themselves from their religion ( other than to acknowledge what their religion is ) I tend to respect them for not cashing in on their religion.
What this mean is that I couldn't care less what a candidate's religious beliefs are as long as that candidate does not manipulate their religion for political gain. A candidate that does not "cash in " on their religion should be easy to spot. Their ideas of what is "right" should be something almost all of us can agree on, and their ideas of what is "wrong" should be something almost all of us can agree on.
The reason we don't see many politicians with these clear-cut stances on right and wrong is because there are no boatloads of campaign contributions or potential voters attached to such a stance. Maybe we should all pray to the god of our choice for this to change.
really interesting article- thanks!
Thank you so much for posting and including your experience as having attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You make an excellent point than you've seen all types there just as well as I see all types in my congregation. Something so broad as religion and someone calling themselves religious, attending church, not attending church – all have different levels of their personal beliefs. I know some folks who believe in the Christian faith but practice quietly in their own homes instead of dressing for the cathedral. Either way – that proves we cannot judge someone by their religion or what we think is the lack of religion on what we see.
And again, although I am not a fan of Governor Romney I have never thought that his decisions made – have been based on any specifics of his Mormon religion or upbringing that somehow would infringe on the separation of church and state.
No matter what religion – as long as it's separate from the affairs of the state - you would hope most could be satisfied.
Thanks so much for posting!
Thanks so much for joining the group! I do hope that most share your view on making a decision on who to vote for is outweighed by policy over religion. Negativity certainly plays a role for me as well. In fact I think it's a bit ironic when those candidates that taught their faith on Sunday are the same ones slinging the mud on Monday (or allowing those around them to sling at will). I believe that with public faith does bring with it an accountability. I certainly have a hope that this campaign season with issues of such gravity like Iraq, rising poverty and the uninsured bring about a debate on policies and not on personalities, faith or negativity. It is interesting – in the mid-term elections of 2006, the Republican National Committee spent the most they ever had on negative advertising – and they lost. I think that says a lot for negativity in politics – people are tired of it and people are smarter than that. Which is how I feel the voters will be at the polls in 2008 as well.
Thanks for being a part of the conversation Ricochet!
Thanks for your comment and joining in the conversation!
First I would just like to clarify for how you mentioned "you lefties" in your post and want to make clear that I am not a lefty and I have the hate mail from them to prove it. I also in no way wish for the Christian right (or anyone one individual or group) to abandon anyone based on religion – as I said in my article I do not believe that one should be judged based on their religion. It's the policies of our country that shape our country at home, those serving abroad and countries around the world and how they look at us.
We have a clear separation between church and state in our country – our forefathers fought and died for that and I would hope that we can hold those truths to be self evident in the campaign for the presidency of this great country.
Thanks for the post,
Laura
And has anybody here ever heard of the "Mormon Conspiracy?" In short it is a plan that calls for the overthrow of the U.S. government and the establishment of a Mormon theocracy. I have no idea how much credence to give it other than to say there was an scandal that befell the State of Arizona back in the 80's when they elected a Mormon named Evan Mecham governor of that state that was revealing.
He was impeached and then convicted and removed from office for Obstruction of Justice,and the misuse of government funds. What was interesting was that during the investigations someone came across some letters he had written at an earlier age where he acknowledged this conspiracy, and advocated it. I don't know about you, but that troubles me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Mecham
Lauara....... I didn't realize you were the actual Laura Schwartz that appears on Fox News. You're not as bad as some of the whacked out leftists out there but you're still pretty liberal from where I sit.
You mention the that one of the ideals of our founding fathers was the separation of church and state. What most lefties fail to mention though is that while the founding fathers intended that the government should never endorse a specific religion they also intended that the government and private citizens should never be allowed to prevent other private citizens from expressing their religion both in private and in public as long as they are doing it as private citizens and not agents of the state.
Also do you honestly think that many of today's so called progressive values, (abortion on demand, gay marriage, open borders, the coddling and sympathizing with foreign terrorists, rampant, unrestrained taxation and spending etc etc etc.) were what our founding father's had in mind.
I've seen you on TV Laura...you're smarter than that.
Anyways I think the media plays the Mormon card out and amplifies it for a host of reasons. I don't think most Americans care what your faith is as long as you don't try to force it on others.
The media loves controversy and I hate to say it, loves democrats. They have a stereotype of the Christian right and assume the fact Romney is a Mormon will exclude him based on the medias stereotype of the bigoted Christian right. I think that is part of the reason why it has become such a big issue. The left thinks it will hurt him.
I support Mitt Romney over all the other candidates from either side because of his platform not his religion. I certainly hope the polls are flawed regarding Mormon views in regards to how people will vote. This isn't good news for America if the polls are correct.
I think this is a good article and critical to the introspective look at who we are as Americans. Everybody has faith in something. Tolerance is NOT something we all share..... But we can keep trying......
I wasn't making a judgement regarding Romney, I was just pointing out why a lot of poeple have a problem with the Mormon Church.
There is the added factor that it is hard for any candidate to honestly talk about such a personal matter on a campaign trail. It's like asking a candidate what is their view of sexuality in marriage, and please base your answer on your personal experience, sir or madam. Why the bleep do we need to know such things, and why do we actually expect a straight answer?
The etymology (roots) of the word *Faith* percolates from the Latin, *fide*: "trust." And also from the Greek, *peithein*: "to persuade," whose roots go back to various Indic/Sanskrit roots that would require a long lecture to get into. Essentially, we are being "persuaded" to "trust."
Laura: I think the problem here isn't so much a person's faith but is rather the put-offing effect of someone parading their faith on street corners. For other than a tiny (and as Dana proves over and over again, intolerant) section of the population, religion is simply a personal matter between the candidate and god. The rabid right has succeeded in turning an awfully lot of people off to any religious expression through their excesses.
Personally I don't care what church an elected official attends, or none at all. I do care if he or she wastes time on the job waving that religious flag and talking about that faith. That's not what they were hired for. I grew up in another era where it was considered rude to quiz people about their religious or other personal beliefs. Faith was considered a private matter. I respect most true believers, but have no use for those who use what they profess to believe as a club to beat others into submission. I use the term "profess" in this case since many of these people show nothing of their so-called faith aside from a tidal wave of words.
I won't vote for Romney, not because of his religion, but rather because of his performance on issues and the fact that his stance on important issues change depending on whose listening and what office he's running for.
I think it's a major mistake for a candidate to pander to the religious right. While religious people do represent a small majority of voters in America, the vocal and pushy intolerant ones are only a fraction of that group. Because they are so vocal and nasty people assume that they represent far more than they actually do, and because of their continued excesses, candidates are taking a real risk by pandering directly to this group.
Given Mr. Bush's loud and continuous avowal of faith contrasted with his actions, you can see why reasonable Christians along with a lot of other people are going to be highly suspicious of someone who continuously proclaims faith without some actions to show that they walk the walk rather than just talking the talk.
From one Presbyterian to another, thanks for an insightful and thought provoking article. The main reason Romney's Mormonism is proving to be an unfortunate liability to his candidacy is because it is a liabilty to many on the Religious Right which comprises a significant, and vocal, part of the Republican party base. Anti-Mormon literature is very popular in evangelical circles. Several fo the biggest selling non-fiction Christian books of the 1980s were anti-Mormon books (The God Makers by Ed Dekker & David Hunt, The Mormon Mirage by Latayne Colvett-Scott, The Maze of Mormonism by Dr. Walter Martin to name a few). These books, along with the films Temple of the God Makers and The God Makers I & II, were largely based on anti-Mormon literature published in the 1800s which was, in turn, based on Anti-Masonic literature from the same period (Mormonism arose during a period when Freemasonry was on the rise in the US and many early Mormons were also Freemasons). I apologize for the History lesson, my Master's degree is in American Religious History, but it sometimes helps to place these matters in context. As a Christian myself, one who grew up in a fundamentalist church but who has since seen the light, I am appalled by this uninformed attitude towards Mormonism in general and Mitt Romney, in particular. While I do not plan to vote for Romney either, I do not trust some of his "flip flops" in particular his "come to Jesus" moment on abortion just in time to announce his presidential run, I believe the man deserves to be judged on the merits of his positions and not on his religion. For the record, I do not appreciate some of the outrageous comments Barack Obama's minister has made in the past, but my decision not to vote for Obama has everything to do with my disagreements over his policies and nothing to do with his church membership. Unfortunately, I do not think Mitt Romney can rise above this irrational fear concerning his Mormonism. Even if some of the criticisms of Mormonism were true, and there is evidence to suggest that some of it is, that does not mean that Romney is part of some conspiracy on the part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to take over the US. Every man and woman running for president or any other political office for that matter deserves to be judged on the merits of their policies. But, I do not think Romney will be given that chance sad to say.
Faith can be practiced at home without all the attention.
Joe
Just for the record, since I cannot get anyone to give me a straight answer on this one: how would Fred and Joe being married keep you from loving your husband and teaching your children your values? Is there something about two guys being married and living 3,000 miles from you that would prevent you taking your children to church on Sunday, teaching them right from wrong, and helping them with their homework?
Joe: Very good point.
I think that a far bigger problem for Romney than his religion is his "adapatability" on issues considered critical by conservatives. You thought John Kerry was a "flip-flopper"? Romney looks like a goldfish somebody dropped on the kitchen floor. How could any staunch Republican cast a ballot for a guy he/she couldn't trust to not revert to his more enlightened principles (the ones he espoused to get himself elected Governor of Mass.) the day after election day?
And his being a Mormon does indeed matter to me--not that I'd ever consider voting for the guy anyway. Having grown up in Salt Lake City, and observed the all-pervasive "influence" that the Mormon church exerts in its own little bastion (including controlling the local news media, and even the Boy Scouts organization) I'd have a more than a few qualms about seeing a Mormon in the Oval office. I'm not sure what goes on in LDS temples, but I suspect it may be something akin to what happened to the wives of Stepford.
Further, we don't care if 50% of americans or whoever doesn't vote on or like us.. we dont just give a damn for you godful people.. at that point you're like coulter and her moron godless stuff.. if you dont understand why the fucking moron mormons are at the same low hate as us, you need to check your head up.. Probably it should be cause they are as savage and crazy as muslims are.. by the way, as crazy as every religious people are..
Dont count on us to vote you people..
Regards..
In my not very humble opinion, this whole in-your-face evangelical movement has turned far more people off to Christianity than it has ever turned on. Personally the more someone tries to force a belief onto me, the more I will resist and the less I will listen. Like most people I don't like being told what I have to think.
In this sound-bite media world people are looking for something that reflects the "real" candidate. As most people prresumably have spent some serious "skull" time considering and deciding what they believe and why, anytime a candidate discusses her/his religious beliefs voters listen as that may be the real candidate showing through. It might also yield light on whether they are principled or poll-driven in their actions. As for people that parade their faith, in a way it is like you or I parading over to inform someone that the back of their car was on fire. Might they consider us to be intruding? or not minding our own business? Maybe but we are doing it because we think they might be unaware of a future problem and we are trying to inform them of our answer (get out of the car!). Much the same with Christian Evangelism.