http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...d=sec-religion
What a fool.
I'm not voting for Romney either... because he's a right-wing ideologue that I expect to cater to the evangelicals, appoint more ultra-con judges, and he seems excited about torture... I could give a %#$% what religion he has.
I expect that any self-described "liberal" would be the same way.

But then we have the numbskull from this article, attacking Romney for his faith rather than his policies.
Intolerance does not stop at party lines.

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"It's never over... BOY!"
The Tall Man, Phantasm III

I'm not sure that self-identification as a "liberal" by a restaurant patron is enough to tar an entire political persuasion except among the Wingnuts.

Have to say, though, that Romney's religious affiliation poses some interesting questions. It's undoubtedly unfair to place much weight on a candidate's religious beliefs (within limits), especially when that affiliation is often the result of family tradition rather than intellectual commitment. For myself, I'm satisfied to believe that is the case with Mr. Romney.

At the same time, there is a question, it seems to me, about any candidate whose religious affiliation implies beliefs that verge on something out of Dungeons and Dragons. Simply put, the Mormon faith includes beliefs that most Americans would consider to be wacky, at best. And unlike other faiths where active intellectual commitment to church doctrine is less demanding (e.g. Catholics), the Mormons place significant emphasis on both intellectual commitment to doctrine and behavioral conformity with its precepts. In other words, it's much more difficult to be a casual Mormon than a casual Catholic or Protestant.

Given that, I'll admit some hesitation about voting for a candidate who believes things about reality that I find to be, frankly, crazy, even when they are not directly linked to public policy.

This is a difficult gray area, at least for me. And I'll readily admit that regardless of the way Mr. Romney deals with it, he wouldn't get my vote, simply because his policy views run counter to my own. By the same token, however, I would be less likely to view him negatively if I didn't have a nagging feeling that he believes an angel dropped off some golden tablets in upstate New York in the 1830's and that Jesus Christ showed up in North America to convert the natives after He was crucified.

I realize, of course, that other presidential candidates whom I may actually support may believe similarly (to me) outlandish things, including the notion that God sent his Son to redeem mankind and that Jesus rose from the dead. Not to mention various stories about floods, whales, the Garden of Eden and the like. Perhaps it is just the relative distance in time from the period of the New Testament compared to that of Mormon scripture that seems to make the supernaturalism of the latter seem more salient and to a skeptic, more troubling.

The bottom line, of course, is that if a candidate is running for President rather than Head Missionary, I'm willing to grant them the right to believe whatever impossible things they wish. And since Mr. Romney came by his faith presumably by way of family tradition, I'm less concerned than I would be if he were a convert. Still, I'm willing to admit that lurking in the back of my mind is a small reservation about his religion. I'm not happy about that reservation. I wish I didn't have it.

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"To announce that..we are to stand by the president whether right or wrong..is morally treasonable to the American public." -- Theodore Roosevelt, 1918

His belief in ridiculous things seems only marginally sillier than the nonsensical beliefs of most candidates. And the beliefs of religionists are often only marginally sillier than those of political ideologues.
Frankly I find it more disturbing that he is catering to the Religious Reich. It seems no matter who I vote for, it will be some kind of Christian... Question is whether it will be a Christian that respects my decisions not to give in to their control.

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"It's never over... BOY!"
The Tall Man, Phantasm III

Amen

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"To announce that..we are to stand by the president whether right or wrong..is morally treasonable to the American public." -- Theodore Roosevelt, 1918

It's not his belief in bizarre things that bothers me about Romney, but the very hierarchical nature of the LDS Church that I find disturbing. I also probably wouldn't vote for a Moonie. Or a conservative Islamic or Black Muslim, for the same reasons.

I should mention that I lived in Utah for 10 years, so I'm very well-aquainted with how the LDS church strongarms their members on political issues...

Interesting article from the Boston Globe remembering how the LDS Church killed the Equal Rights Amendment back in the 70s...

http://bostonphoenix.com/boston/news...s/04538494.asp

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Hedonistic Lemming

Billy Bob: "From now on I don't want to be quoted. EVER! "