I am fully aware it would be a political disaster for him to do this. If he did this as a political stunt I would be the first to run him out of town. Of course I consider faith much more important than political aspirations.


I think faith is one of many factors that can and should be considered when voting. For example, some of the strange doctrines of Mormonism go to the good sense and logical reasoning of Romney if he holds to them. That said, I am currently supporting Romney in spite of the religion he holds based upon other factors I am also taking into consideration.

Oh c'mon. That's not really fair.
You do realize how ridiculous the most basic and "normal" Christian beliefs are to the non-Christian? Romney was born and raised Mormon. Why do you expect that he would find any of the important doctrines strange or that it would be unreasonable to hold them?
To the outsider, the concept of God is pretty strange and unreasonable. I don't think we can hold beliefs we find strange as evidence of a believer's lack of reason.

__________________
"Man lives in the sunlit world of that which he believes to be reality. But unseen by most is an underworld, a place that is just as real... but not as brightly lit... A DARK SIDE!"
-opening from Tales From the Darkside

Well I am of the belief that we should be seekers of truth and not just settlers for accepted traditions. That also is a characteristic I expect from my President. If they are willing to accept without question obvious deception in one area of their life that I see as a character flaw. It only takes minimal seeking to find that Joseph Smith was a total charlatan. I want a President that strives for truth.

I also seek a person with a value system fairly consistent with my own. A person's religious views gives some indication of the value system a person holds to. Mormonism is similar to my value system with some exceptions. Mormonism is much more secretive (secret oaths, hand-shakes, etc.). Mormonism has a racist tradition. Mormonism has some different ideas on the family (divorce your spouse if they convert, polygamy). Mormonism has an exalted view of man (we can become God).

That said, faith is just one factor that should be considered. If it was only faith I'd vote Huckabee (although he could still win my vote). I am currently supporting Romney mostly because of the policies he is advocating.

I think Mormons have one of the most easily picked apart religions there is. That said, I don't care. I believe it won't impact his decision making and instead will be guided by values instilled by religion, not policy based on doctrine. His speech got glowing reviews. I fell over when the Globe headline was his speech being the most Presidential moment of the election thus far. The analysis by the Globe was that it was even more Presidential than Bush.

__________________
All you need to know about the energy crisis:
ANWR Exploration Republicans: 91% Supported. Democrats: 86% Opposed.
Coal-to-liquid R's: 90% YES. D's: 78% NO.
Oil Shale Exploration R's: 90% YES. D's: 86% NO.
Outer Continental Shelf Exploration R's: 81% YES. D's: 83% NO.
Increased Refinery Capacity R's: 97% YES. D's: 96% NO

SUMMARY: 91% of House Republicans have historically voted to increase the production of America’s own oil and gas. 86% of House Democrats have historically voted against.