By Frank Pastore
Sunday, April 15, 2007
The Romney candidacy put Mormonism into the American spotlight and has given us all op-portunity to clarify our convictions on our political system and the Mormon faith. The lines be-tween politics and religion are being questioned, pressing Americans to think through the rela-tionship between a candidate's value system and policies with those of their own political and re-ligious convictions. This is both proper and good. The issue, as I see it, is not about whether a Christian would or should vote for a Mormon. That's confusing categories. Every American should vote for whomever he or she chooses. That choice is usually for the candidate whose worldview and policy preferences most closely resemble one's own. Should Romney win the Republican nomination, I will vote for him because in our two-party political system-as it is currently aligned ideologically-my vote will almost certainly go to the Republican. The GOP aligns more closely with my conservative, evangelical policy prefer-ences than does the Democratic Party. The war against radical Islam, the protection of mar-riage, the right to life, limited government with smarter spending, and the make-up of the Su-preme Court are all matters of deep personal conviction. And, for these reasons, I'll vote for the Republican candidate, whoever that is.   Presidential candidate and former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney (R-MA) (R) arrives at the George Bush Presidential Library Center at Texas A&M University with his wife Ann Romney (L) and former U.S. President George Bush in College Station, Texas April 10, 2007. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi (UNITED STATES) As many have said, "We're not electing a pastor, we're electing a president." Historically, our largely Christian country has chosen to elect Christian candidates (not that there have been many non-Christian candidates). In the last two presidential elections, church attendance was the most reliable indicator of voting preferences. It's no coincidence that the Democrats this time around are determined to appear more religious (i.e., more evangelical friendly) in order to win the White House. Yet, if appearing more religious in this majority-Christian nation is an electoral advantage, then being from a faith other than Christianity pre-sents a new set of challenges. And therein lies the problem for the Romney campaign. Though I could vote for Romney, my ballot should not be seen as an endorsement of Mor-monism. Conservative Mormons are among the finest people I've ever met, and they are critical allies in the culture war. I appreciate their contribution to advancing our shared values. Yet as we make common cause, I should not be asked or feel pressured to compromise, weaken, or di-lute my theology. Allies need not obfuscate distinctives. We can unite politically and socially to advance our cause, but we must not blur the lines between our distinct religions. Just as Christians and Jews, by definition, cannot ignore their differences over the resurrec-tion and the New Testament, so too Christians and Mormons cannot ignore the differences be-tween the Bible and the three books of Mormonism: the Book of Mormon, Doctrines and Cove-nants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Yet many Mormons in recent years have taken to calling themselves Christians, and a grow-ing number of Christians are willing to speak of Mormonism as something akin to another Chris-tian denomination. But, Mormonism is not a Christian denomination, nor is it merely "a non-Christian religion." To be theologically precise, though perhaps politically incorrect, Mormonism is a cult of Christianity (www.apologeticsindex.org/c09a01.html) – a group that claims to Chris-tian while denying one or more central doctrines of the Christian faith. The polytheism of Latter Day Saints is a striking contrast to the monotheism of the Bible. The Mormons also deny original sin (central to a Christian understanding of the human condition) and believe that Jesus was conceived through sexual intercourse between God the Father and Mary. I could go on, but Mormonism has far more that distinguishes it from the historic Christian faith than unites it to Christianity. So, though I am willing to unite with and befriend Mormons in common cause to advance our shared values, I am hoping to be a voice of clarity – unwilling to allow Mormonism to be mis-taken for orthodox Christianity and unwilling again to disqualify a candidate simply because he is from a faith tradition so different from my own. I'll vote for Romney if he wins the Republican nomination. And I will continue to contend for the historic Christian faith with the sharply-dressed Mormon missionaries who come to my door. |
The Frank Pastore Show is heard in Los Angeles weekday afternoons on 99.5 KKLA and on the web at kkla.com, and is the winner of the 2006 National Religious Broadcasters Talk Show of the Year. Frank is a former major league pitcher with graduate degrees in both philosophy of religion and political philosophy.
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