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DEL.ICIO.USMitt Romney, and whether a Mormon can win the hearts of Southern Baptists, Methodists
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Time magazine has a piece this week on the ‘08 presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney, the Massachusetts governor who is tailor-made to fit the Southern, evangelical base of the Republican party.
Except for the fact that he’s a Mormon. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, if you will.
“Because Mormons acknowledge works of Scripture that are not in the Bible, believe that their prophets have received revelations directly from God and teach that God has a physical body, Evangelicals consider them heretics. The Southern Baptist Convention lists the LDS church under Cults and Sects, along with Scientology,” the Times article says.
That said, a prominent figure in Atlanta area church circles has stepped up to help bridge the gap between Romney and the GOP’s evangelical base.
Mark DeMoss is a Duluth-based public relations consultant who specializes in Christian ministries. Clients include both Billy Graham and his son, Franklin.
DeMoss recently set up a three-hour meeting at Romney’s home with make-or-break figures of the Religious Right. “I invited about 45 or so, and about 15 chose to attend,” he said.
Who showed? Here’s a partial list:
Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission - perhaps the most influential religious lobbyist in the country;
Franklin Graham;
Jerry Falwell, once leader of the now-defunct Moral Majority;
Gary Bauer, the former GOP presidential candidate and leader of the group, American Values;
Jay Sekulow of Alpharetta, leader of the American Center for Law and Justice;
Richard Lee, pastor of First Redeemer Baptist Church of Cumming, Ga.;
Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America;
Paula White, co-pastor of the massive Church Without Walls in Tampa, Fla.;
and Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition.
No, Ralph Reed was not there.
DeMoss is acting in an unpaid capacity, and plans to keep it that way. He first met Romney in September. The group meeting in Boston followed on Oct. 26.
Following are excerpts from a telephone conversation we had with DeMoss, who was in Orlando on Monday:
— “The response was pretty interesting, because I knew there were some very strong feelings doctrinally about Mormonism. As it turned out, it appeared not to be a big issue.”
— “There were only two sets of questions specifically about faith. One person asked [Romney] his personal believe about Jesus and who Jesus was, whether he died and rose again.
“And then somebody else asked [Romney] about salvation - basically how he believed somebody would go to heaven.
“Other than those two questions, the entire discussion for nearly three hours focused on the issues of today, like abortion and stem cell research and the federal marriage amendment and what kind of judges he would appoint. Like you would ask any other candidate.”
— “The question everybody wants to ask is,‘Could I support a Mormon.’ To draw a conclusion about anybody, candidate or otherwise, solely based on their religion, isn’t fair to the person or the religion. It’s an incomplete analysis. We ought to take into consideration the whole of somebody’s life.
“It’s not whether I could vote for a Mormon, it’s whether I could vote for this Mormon.”
— On the fact that a Romney candidacy would require Southern pastors to distinguish between theology and politics: “Almost any evangelical pastor would have a difficult time letting Mitt Romney speak in their pulpit. But on the other hand, on issues evangelicals care a whole lot about, Romney’s been somewhat of a standard bearer,” DeMoss said.
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By GodHatesTrash
November 27, 2006 8:52 PM | Link to this
*Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission - perhaps the most influential religious lobbyist in the country;
Franklin Graham;
Jerry Falwell, once leader of the now-defunct Moral Majority;
Gary Bauer, the former GOP presidential candidate and leader of the group, American Values;
Jay Sekulow of Alpharetta, leader of the American Center for Law and Justice;
Richard Lee, pastor of First Redeemer Baptist Church of Cumming, Ga.;
Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America;
Paula White, co-pastor of the massive Church Without Walls in Tampa, Fla.;
and Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition.*
Trash all. Romney had this vermin in his home?
Disgusting.
By john dahl
November 27, 2006 10:10 PM | Link to this
when was it, who was it, in this or the last century that decided that “baptists” could dance and wear make-up? which century are they in and how long has it taken them to get to the 21st? oops! i forgot. they still aren´t there yet. so much for their list of who is or who isn´t a sect. we all recogenize they are a cult just like the rest of¨”christianity”
By Jon
November 28, 2006 8:13 AM | Link to this
Glad to hear that someone out there is trying to bridge gaps in the world. We’ll have to see what the country thinks about this Mormon…
By SpaceyG
November 28, 2006 9:17 AM | Link to this
Mormon=Cultist. Sure! Why not! Awesome! We just totally love that kinda religious mind-control bs/cf in this country. Bring it on!! Heck, annoint him HolyCrapKing while you’re at it.
http://spaceygreview.blogspot.com/
By SpaceyG
November 28, 2006 9:31 AM | Link to this
Maybe Laura Mallory (Harry Potter-hater Gwinnettian) can run his media campaign?? Then again, she doesn’t believe in — magic! Silly me. Mormons do though. And tooth fairies will sprinkle us all with Jesus dust…
Un-f-in-believable that people in this day and age even put pen to paper with this kinda nonsensical hokus-pokus religious stuff.
By kmay
November 28, 2006 11:26 AM | Link to this
No one cared about Christians and their viewpoint until we actually had a large, loud voice that politicians listened to. Feeling a little threatened?
By Rawena
November 28, 2006 11:39 AM | Link to this
Jewish people in Germany felt threatened by the “Christians” in the 20’s and 30’s.
The residents of Palestine felt threatened by the “Christian” crusaders.
Innocent women felt threatened by “Christians” in Salem, Mass.
By Keith
November 28, 2006 11:42 AM | Link to this
Funny how people won’t vote for Romney just because he’s a Mormon, while Latter-day Saints such as myself care less about his membership in the Church than about his character and political views.
As far as the old “Mormons are a cult” saw, I find it interesting that the people who shout that the loudest seem to be the least willing to hold their own beliefs up for scrutiny. NO religion makes complete sense, when taken apart and inspected, but Mormonism makes more sense than most, and definitely more sense than the evangelical church that I left behind. And I definitely appreciate the lack of politics from the pulpit that I’ve found here, which was a refreshing change.
Does that mean that I would be more likely to vote for a Mormon than an evangelical? Not necessarily. If they are a match on political background and doctrine, then yes, I probably would vote for the Latter-day Saint, but Church membership would only count if all else were equal, like the Vice President only voting when the Senate is tied. Otherwise, it wouldn’t matter.
By Keith
November 28, 2006 11:42 AM | Link to this
Funny how people won’t vote for Romney just because he’s a Mormon, while Latter-day Saints such as myself care less about his membership in the Church than about his character and political views.
As far as the old “Mormons are a cult” saw, I find it interesting that the people who shout that the loudest seem to be the least willing to hold their own beliefs up for scrutiny. NO religion makes complete sense, when taken apart and inspected, but Mormonism makes more sense than most, and definitely more sense than the evangelical church that I left behind. And I definitely appreciate the lack of politics from the pulpit that I’ve found here, which was a refreshing change.
Does that mean that I would be more likely to vote for a Mormon than an evangelical? Not necessarily. If they are a match on political background and doctrine, then yes, I probably would vote for the Latter-day Saint, but Church membership would only count if all else were equal, like the Vice President only voting when the Senate is tied. Otherwise, it wouldn’t matter.
By Keith
November 28, 2006 11:44 AM | Link to this
Funny how people won’t vote for Romney just because he’s a Mormon, while Latter-day Saints such as myself care less about his membership in the Church than about his character and political views.
As far as the old “Mormons are a cult” saw, I find it interesting that the people who shout that the loudest seem to be the least willing to hold their own beliefs up for scrutiny. NO religion makes complete sense, when taken apart and inspected, but Mormonism makes more sense than most, and definitely more sense than the evangelical church that I left behind. And I definitely appreciate the lack of politics from the pulpit that I’ve found here, which was a refreshing change.
Does that mean that I would be more likely to vote for a Mormon than an evangelical? Not necessarily. If they are a match on political background and doctrine, then yes, I probably would vote for the Latter-day Saint, but Church membership would only count if all else were equal, like the Vice President only voting when the Senate is tied. Otherwise, it wouldn’t matter.
By GL
November 28, 2006 11:46 AM | Link to this
Thanks to DeMoss for initiating dialogue between religious leaders and Romney. It’s so easy to criticize and have zero tolerence for other people’s beliefs and values when they aren’t your own. I’m disappointed at the commentaries towards DeMoss’s efforts and the sarcasm towards religion.
By rustylynn
November 28, 2006 12:18 PM | Link to this
Goodness. What hostility towards Christian Conservatives. Despite all the lamenting from liberals regarding Bush being a Christian, I’ve yet to see where he has imposed his Christian faith on the people of this country…. I guess the only real visible fight from the Right has been the outspoken fear against court imposed hedonism.
By Kyle Alan Hale
November 28, 2006 2:26 PM | Link to this
It’s so interesting that a government founded on Judaeo-Christian ethics by (predominantly) explicitly Christians are so quick to balk at Christian politicians. It’s a bit backward. God will watch over and care for this nation as long as we recognize that he’s doing it.
By Phil Ollero
November 28, 2006 3:11 PM | Link to this
I am a latter day saint and it’s good that someone is bridging the differences between mormons and evangelicals. The only thing that matters to me when it comes to politics is the difference between the conservatives and liberals. I think Rommney is more conservative than our present President Bush and I appreciate that.
By Jim
November 28, 2006 4:14 PM | Link to this
It is very interesting to consider some of the comments on this page. Are we talking about a politcal office or a religious office that the man is running for? Did any of you who voted for Bill Clinton or George Bush(41) OR Ross Perot ever question what religious denomination they belong to in 1992?
What matters most is does the person running practice what they preach. Pres. Clinton Says he is a Christian. yet we all have seen he has a problem with the truth. President Bush (43) says he is a Christian. He has a problem with living up to campaign promises.
Point is we are all sinners so let the one who is without sin cast the first stone. Only christ will claim who belongs to him or not. So that being said instead of trying to tear dopwn a guy because the doctrine he chooses to believe is different than anothers lets look at the similarities and build upon them. He is not running to be Gods spokesman here on earth. Lets act more like Christians and do what Christ has told us to do and act like Jesus did. Love thy neighbor as thyself. man the worl;d would be a better place if more people believed in obeying the 2 great commandments.
If Hillary Clinton is better for the office vote for her. If Rudy Giuliani is better for the job vote for him. i personally think Mitt is the best choice so If he runs I will vote for him.
By Barry
November 28, 2006 6:01 PM | Link to this
We have elected incompetent presidents, liars, cheats, crooks, adulterers, warmongers…and yet some people say we shouldn’t consider a candidate because his idea of Jesus and God is different than ours? I’d rather have an honest, competent Mormon as president than a member of another faith who preaches one thing and practices another. Forget the religious litmus test; the question should be, is the candidate a person of integrity, and are his (or her) ideas best for America?
By Rob
November 28, 2006 6:16 PM | Link to this
Didn’t the country have the same debate a few decades ago about voting for a Catholic (Kennedy)?
Now, I wasn’t born at the time, but apparently neither the world, nor America, came to an end due to the Kennedy presidency.
Side note: If you want to rid yourself of any misunderstandings about mormons voting in lockstep for any mormon on the ballot, find one and ask him what he thinks about Harry Reid.
By David Vilt
November 28, 2006 6:45 PM | Link to this
Before I became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I had always believed Jesus was the devine resurrected Christ, having a body of flesh and bone as he said he did in the Bible. Now, as a Mormon, I’m a heretic for beliving this? Apparantly I’m now a heretic for other beliefs I had in the past. For example, I never read in the Bible that “there shall be no more prophets of God and no more scripture after the New Testament.” The Book of Revelation ending says you can’t add or subtract from this book. I noticed that the Book of Revelation was written before some other New Testament books and a few hundred years prior the New Testament being compiled. So, John’s ending of his revelation must have referred to his Book of Revelation, not the entire Bible as we know it today. Also, why were the Apocrypha books deleted from the Protestant Bible, but still retained in the Catholic version of the Bible? Am I now a heretic for questioning this? I used to wonder why there were so many Christian churches and different forms of baptism and worship (the Bible said “one Lord, one faith, one baptism). Where was the authority to work on behalf of God? Derived from the Catholic Church (Roman or Orthodox), from a seminary degree, from some good honest person who said he/she was directly “called of God”? Was I a heretic for wondering about these things? After many years of searching out answers to my questions, surprisingly, I found what I was seeking in the “Mormon” Church. I would invite those who feel I am a heretic, to honestly and sincerely reconsider their judging me and find out for themselves, or at least don’t harass me(or Mitt Romney)about my religious faith.
By Lee
November 29, 2006 11:26 AM | Link to this
We are not electing a member of the board of deacons -“in-chief-“. We are electing a commander-in-chief. With Mr. Haggard humiliating a lot of the evangelicals he represented as their Association Executive by his long-lived homosexuality. Does that make the evangelicals a cult because one of their main players is queer? Hmmmmmmmm.
For crying out loud the newest Senate Majority leader is Harry Reid. He is a serious and devoted Latter Day Saint. Don’t hear any vilification of him because of his church. Could that possibly be because he is a Democrat and chosen one of the liberal elite?
Romney would be a great President. Makes me think a little less of him that he would sully himself by running. He is above all the sniping and mud-throwing.
By Dave
November 29, 2006 12:51 PM | Link to this
Based on the media coverage of the Romney campain I’m left to believe that the only problem with Mitt is his choice of religion. If that’s true I would vote for him. I mean, everyone else seems to have problems with chasing interns, taking bribes, wanting to extend constitional rights to non US citizens in foregion countries, or who to blame for people lieing in an exit poll.
By Jim LaForce
November 30, 2006 2:10 PM | Link to this
Anyone who thinks that the LDS Church is a cult is entitled to their opinion, no matter how wrong they may be. I joined the LDS Church as a teenager and found a home. I shudder to think where I might have gone or become without the teachings and lessons imparted to me by leaders,teachers and friends found within the Church. I’m going to support and vote for Mitt Romney for President because he reflects my political viewpoints, my personal views about our nation and where it’s going and because I believe he is the right man for the job. The fact that he and his family share the same religious beliefs I do is a nice thing, but not the most important thing. It didn’t matter to me that President Bush was an evangelical (I voted for both of them) why would it matter to evangelicals about Gov. Romney? By the way, unless the so-called “religious right” likes the thought of hearing the phrase “President Hilary Clinton” for the next 8 years, they better stand up and support Gov. Romney in his candidacy.