Should Mitt Romney's Mormon faith be an issue that impacts your vote? Religion is a sensitive topic, and I approach it with deep reverence and respect. It's sensitive because it touches the very heart, even the soul, of each of us. It's what we live for, and often, what we would die for. With that in mind, I tread softly...
First, I respect every American's right to choose and practice whatever religion he would like. We have freedom of religious expression in the United States, and I'm thankful for that freedom. I'm glad that faith has entered the dialogue of the current round of presidential contenders, and I applaud all candidates who are willing to at least try to talk about what they believe; it can be scary to step out on a faith-based discussion, because as a political candidate who wants to be likeable, you're guaranteed to offend somebody (or several somebodies) no matter what you say when it comes to matters of faith. I also want to say that I share many of the same conservative values with those who practice Mormonism, and that commonality has made it easy for me through the years to befriend, and respect, several people who are members of the Mormon church.
I'm also thankful, as a U.S. citizen, that I have a right to make discerning choices based on the totality of a candidate's politics, personal character and personal choices. Although I can vote with my money, I do not have the right by ballot to select most role models for our country: basketball players, pop singers, movie stars (except maybe for American Idol, but I'm too old to text message). When I can vote at the ballot box for a national role model, I do consider how that person might impact the next generation. I believe that the stability of our country depends on remaining as close as possible to the intentions of our founding fathers. Therefore, the personal faith of a candidate is a consideration for me.
Below you will find some food for thought from www.apologeticsindex.org regarding the Mormon religion. I think we owe it to ourselves as voters to make informed decisions. So, I challenge you to be informed....
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From www.apologeticsindex.org:
A Cult of Christianity
The Mormon Church - officially, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint - considers itself not just a Christian denomination, but rather the only true expression of Christianity.
However, the history, theology and practices of Mormonism show this religious movement to be outside of orthodox Christianity.
Mormons believe that their church is "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth" (D&C 1:30), the only organization authorized by the Almighty to preach his gospel and administer the ordinances of salvation, the only Church which has power to save" (Mormon Doctrine; 1977 ed, p. 136).
Mormons either deny of pervert every essential doctrine of historic Christianity, including the uniqueness of God, the virgin birth, the Trinity, the authority of Scripture (by relegating it to a position below their other sacred writings), and salvation by grace through faith.
Source: Charts of Cults, Sects, & Religious Movements by H. Wayne House, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2000, page 58.
Individuals who, while claiming to be Christians, reject one of more central (key) doctrines of the Christian faith are considered heretics. Groups which reject such doctrines while claiming to represent Christianity, are considered cults of Christianity.
A cult of Christianity is a group of people, which claiming to be Christian, embraces a particular doctrinal system taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or organization, which (system) denies (either explicitly or implicitly) one or more of the central doctrines of the Christian faith as taught in the sixty-six books of the Bible.
Source: "Unmasking The Cults" by Alan Gomes. See also: Cult - A Theological Definition
Thus, while Mormons profess to be Christians, they are outside orthodox Christianity and the Mormon Church is considered to be, theologically, a cult of Christianity.
Various legitimate Christian denominations have made statements to this effect. See, for example, these news reports:
Delegates to the United Methodists' national convention meeting in Cleveland on Wednesday said the LDS Church "does not fit within the bounds of the historic, apostolic tradition of Christian faith," and that Mormons who convert to Methodism need to be re-baptized.
The convention approved a study document written by two Salt Lake City ministers, the Rev. Brian Hare-Diggs of First United Methodist Church and the Rev. Jennifer Hare-Diggs of Centenary United Methodist Church.
The nine-page paper, passed by the Methodist General Conference without floor discussion, spells out theological differences between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the United Methodist Church.
It says Mormonism has "some radically differing doctrine on such matters of belief as the nature and being of God; the nature, origin, and purpose of Jesus Christ; and the nature and way of salvation."
The Methodists said Mormonism incorporates a "gendered, married and procreating god" with "a body of flesh and bones," and has a theology that "more closely resembles a tri-theistic or possibly a polytheistic faith" than monotheism -- worship of the one God.
The Methodists also objected that "the Jesus of Mormonism is not co-eternal with the Father and of one substance with the Father" and that Mormons add other scriptures to the Bible.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) and Southern Baptist Convention have issued similar assessments of Mormon doctrine.
Source: Methodists Say LDS Doctrine Not Christian, Salt Lake Tribune, May 11, 2000
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The Roman Catholic Church declared Thursday that Mormon converts must be rebaptized, a setback to the Mormon Church's effort to characterize itself as a Christian denomination.
The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith declared that baptisms in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are "not the baptism that Christ instituted."
The ruling was a departure from the Catholic Church's usual practice of recognizing the baptisms of converts from most other churches. The Vatican held that the Mormon view of the nature of God was too different from Catholicism's.
It was the second time in as many years that a major Christian church had ruled that Mormon converts must be rebaptized. Last year, the United Methodist Church, the nation's second-largest Protestant denomination, took a similar stand.
[...]
Dan Wotherspoon, editor of Sunstone Magazine, an independent journal of Mormon life and issues published in Salt Lake City, said, "Clearly, the LDS church still has their work cut out for them in this effort to be known as a Christian church."
In Salt Lake City, Latter-day Saints spokesmen sought to minimize the importance of the Catholic decision, or its possible effect on efforts by the church to present itself as a Christian church.
[...]
In Rome, the Vatican congregation indicated that radically different theological views of God and Jesus Christ necessitated the rebaptism of Mormon converts.
The congregation said that the Catholic Church could not accept Mormon belief that "God the father had a wife, the Celestial Mother, with whom he procreated Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit."
Source: Vatican Will Not Accept Mormon Baptisms, Los Angeles Times, July 20, 2001
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