OK, so I'm a Mormon, lets get that out there. I recently read an article on the 2012 American Presidential race which stated that two Mormons are running for the Republican party candidacy, Mitt Romney and John Huntsman. I did know about Romney's Mormon background from the 2008 Presidential race, Huntsman I was unaware of. I was also unaware that Harry Reid, a Democratic Senator (Senate Majority Leader no less), is a Mormon.
While I am not active in the Church at the moment, it interests me greatly when the Church is discussed, especially by non-members in a public arena. I don't think there is a subject on earth that is more discussed than religion, apart from maybe politics, so when the two combine my juices really get going.
Can a Mormon be President of the United States? or more accurately, would the American populus vote-in a Mormon candidate to the most prestigious position of their proud culture? The answer is yet to be seen. As a Mormon missionary I witnessed first hand the ignorance that many people have towards our beliefs. When I say ignorance I don't always mean a purposeful ignorance, simply a lack of understanding about our beliefs and I know that this lack of understanding is far reaching. I also know that some people simply do not agree with Mormon beliefs, which is fair enough. My question is then, will these people vote for a Mormon President, or does it even matter to these people that these candidates are Mormon?
Here is a quote from an Associate Director of the Pew Research centre written for the New York Times:
"Overall, being a Mormon is hardly an asset for presidential candidates, but it is not a deal-breaker for most Americans. A quarter of Americans say they would be less likely to support a presidential candidate who is Mormon, while 68% say it would not make a difference. For perspective, about the same number say they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who has used marijuana in the past.
But an important group within the Republican base, white evangelical Protestants, is more uncomfortable with the idea of a Mormon candidate than are other Republicans. Among all Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 31% of white evangelicals say they would be less likely to vote for a Mormon; that compares with 15% of other Republicans. This gap is as large as it was four years ago."
Another question then springs to mind, Is it better for Mitt Romney, et al to distance themselves from their religious beliefs in order to win votes?
Mitt Romney said in 2007:
"Almost 50 years ago another candidate from Massachusetts explained that he was an American running for President, not a Catholic running for President. Like him, I am an American running for President. I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith."
Is Mr Romney trying to distance himself from his religious beliefs or is he simply saying that it shouldn't matter about his religion. I tend to believe the latter, although seperately I would maybe warn him not to compare himself to very popular Presidents like JFK too much.
While America claims to be a religion tolerant nation, I believe that it is not yet ready to elect a Mormon president. While I don't know exactly how much religion factors in the minds of American voters, I think it is certainly a point that most would consider before voting. Mormonism is not widely enough understood despite its almost 6 million American members and approximately 7 million non-US members worldwide. I believe that there is still a mystery that surrounds the Church and combined with the widespread misunderstandings of its beliefs, especially on Polygamy (which has not been practiced by Mormons for over 120 years), this would be enough to put off voters.
I'm interested to see if people agree with this opinion, especially my American friends, so please comment guys.
Also, as a post scriptum, I have tried to put myself in the voters position. I am not an American however if I were and I was asked to vote between a Scientologist or a Jehovahs Witness and another candidate who's religion was more mainstream, religion would certainly be a factor in my decision.
