Mitt Romney and John Huntsman are candidates for the 2010 presidential election. Both men are Republicans and former governors and both men are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly called Mormons. Ask any question about the Mormons and interested parties are told that Mormonism is not part of the political debate. But in America, the religious affiliation and beliefs of candidates matters, even though many Americans do not consider themselves either religious or church-goers. Republicans opened the door on religion in 2008, inquiring into Barack Obama’s ties to a Chicago church and pastor whose comments were offensive to many voters.
The Role of Religion in American Politics
Unlike other western democracies, religion in the U.S. has always played an important role in politics. This is particularly true for Republicans, whose base includes many fundamentalist groups. Even some high profile candidates, like Michelle Bachmann, have fundamentalist roots. In Germany, no person would fault Angela Merkel for not ending a speech with “so help me God” or “God bless Germany.” In Italy, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi thumbs his nose at Vatican censures of his womanizing while in Sweden, where practically nobody attends Sunday services, King Carl Gustaf is still attempting to downplay his visits to so-called sex clubs.
In the United States, however, religion, fundamentally Protestant oriented, plays a role in the decision of voters. Jimmy Carter told voters that he was a “born again” Christian. Evangelist Billy Graham was an unofficial chaplain to many late 20th Century presidents. In North Carolina, the state constitution bars citizens that are atheists from holding any public office. This forced Asheville politician Cecil Bothwell to defend his right to hold office (Asheville Citizen Times, December 13, 2009)
Is the Mormon Church Compatible with the Republican Evangelical Base?
But what about Mormons? Although the U.S. Constitution bans any religious test, the Mormon issue is bound to surface as the 2012 campaign draws closer. Christopher Hitchens, writing in Slate (November 26, 2007) intimates that Romney not only should be open about his religious affiliation, but that the media has a right to question it. In the end, the voters will decide the issue.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith out of visions he had in the 1820’s, a time in America of rampant millennialism. Smith was given golden tablets by the messenger Moroni and translated the “reformed Egyptian” into the Book of Mormon. Later works of equal stature and church authority included Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price. The early Mormon church was, by modern standards, racist and approved plural marriage, at first for the hierarchy while in Nauvoo, Illinois, and then for others.
The Book of Mormon is a new revelation, although Mormons accept the Christian Bible “insofar as it is correctly translated.” In 1834, Columbia professor Charles Anthon, writing to a Mr. E. D. Howe, called the Book of Mormon a hoax after examining parts of it. The story of the Nephites and Lamanites has no basis in historical fact and cannot be proven from any archaeological evidence.
Christology of the Mormon Church
The most critical aspect of Mormon belief involves Christology. According to Brigham Young, who led the Mormons to Utah following Smith’s death, Jesus was not conceived by the Holy Spirit but by the father. Young stated that Jesus was “our elder brother” (see Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, pages 50 and 51). Contemporary Mormons deny still believing, for example, in blood atonement, but the June 2010 execution of Ronnie Gardner in Utah incited renewed debate among Mormon purists. Some sins must be atoned by the shedding of a person’s blood.
Walter A. Martin, a prolific mid-20th Century writer on cults, states, “From the facts it is evident…that Mormonism strives with great effort to masquerade as the Christian church complete with an exclusive message, infallible prophets, higher revelations…which…began with Joseph Smith, Jr.” If true, then those American voters that use religion as a litmus test for the White House deserve an open debate. Mitt Romney has stated that the Constitution trumps the words of the current Mormon prophet (Slate, September 6, 2010).
How will American Evangelicals View a Mormon Candidate?
Writing in September 2005, Amy Sullivan stated that “silence is not an option” recounting her own experiences growing up in a Baptist Church that argued Mormonism was a cult. She ties this to the growing evangelical base of the Republican Party (Washington Monthly). These are the people that vote in the South, are members of the Tea Party, and equate social issues with their religious convictions.
For Romney and Huntsman, this is not simply a matter of explaining away Hill Cumorah in Palmyra, NY, site of the great battle between the Nephites and Lamanites. They will have to convince the Republican base that their faith tradition should not make a difference in how the nation is governed.
Sources:
- Brian J. L. Berry, America’s Utopian Experiments (Dartmouth College/University Press of New England, 1992)
- Christopher Hitchens, “Free Exercise of Religion? No, Thanks. The taming and domestication of religious faith is one of the unceasing chores of civilization,” Slate, September 6, 2010)
- Christopher Hitchens, “Mitt the Mormon,” Slate, November 26, 2007
- Walter A. Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults (Bethany, 1970)
- Amy Sullivan, “Mitt Romney’s Evangelical Problem,” Washington Monthly, September 2005
