On October 7, 2011, Rev. Dr. Robert Jeffress, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, ignited a debate over GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s credentials as a “genuine Christian.” During follow-up media questions, Jeffress stated that, “a Christian in office is better than a non-Christian” and that Mormonism was “not part of historical Christianity.” Romney’s immediate response referred to Jeffress’ comments as “poisonous language.” The debate centers on the role of religion and politics; evangelical Christians have long held that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a cult.
A History of Religious Freedom and Toleration Begins with Revolution
On January 16, 1786 the Virginia legislature passed the Statute of Religious Freedom, which says, in part, that, “all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion.” Thomas Jefferson, who had crafted the statute several years earlier, believed that, “…all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion.” The later U.S. Constitution forbids any “religious test” in application to office-holding.
Neither the colonial period nor the war years were characterized by religious freedom and toleration. Baptists, arriving first in Pennsylvania, practiced immersion, contrary to other Protestant views coming out of the Reformed creeds. John Adams, attending a meeting in Massachusetts in October 1774, related that Baptists and Quakers protested the preferential treatment given by the state Assembly to the Congregationalists. Both groups argued that they had been, “grievously oppressed.”
Early American Christianity was predominantly Protestant-centered. Anti-Catholicism, for example, was prevalent in many colonies. Even as Pennsylvania worked to establish a new government after the War for Independence began, members of the legislature had to affirm that they were Protestant. As greater numbers of Catholics arrived in the nineteenth-century, persecution grew; one significant third party – the “Know-Nothings,” accepted anti-Catholicism as a primary tenant of political belief in the 1850’s.
Differences in Theology Separate Mormons from Evangelicals
Mormons, under the leadership of founder Joseph Smith, were always oppressed. Before the Church made the trek to Utah, Mormons were killed by their neighbors; Joseph Smith was murdered by an angry crowd in June 1844. Historian Brian Berry writes that, “Members believed they were God’s Chosen People.” Despite their Utopian ideals, evidenced in their communities, Mormons were always viewed with deep suspicion. Evangelical groups have long held that theologically, “Mormonism” does not accept orthodox Christology and holds the Book of Mormon to be equal to the Bible as inspired revelation.
The Book of Mormon is believed by many evangelicals to be a hoax, perpetrated by Joseph Smith; nobody actually saw the gold tablets given to Smith in order to translate the Book of Mormon (see Walter Martin’s Kingdom of the Cults and The Maze of Mormonism). Evangelical colleges and universities offer courses that treat the Latter Day Saints as a cult. Dallas Theological Seminary, for example, offers a 400-level course that explores “the doctrinal emphasis of significant cults.” Dallas Theological Seminary is considered one of the best evangelical institutions for pastors and lay leaders.
Liberty University, which hosted GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann on September 28, 2011, also incorporates cults into studies of world religions. Northeastern Bible College in New Jersey, before its closing, offered a course simply called “Cults” that included analysis of Smith and Mormon beliefs. Evangelical Christians do not view Mormons as “genuine” Christians, according to Dr. Jeffress. This conclusion echoes long-held evangelical beliefs and is not novel to the 2012 presidential election.
Mormons believe in Jesus as a son of God, but they do not hold to evangelical Christianity’s position that Jesus is part of the trinity and is, in fact, the “word made flesh;” (John 1). The Book of Mormon is not supported by any historical or archaeological evidence. Most of the theological positions held by the Latter Day Saints contradict the Christology of both Protestant and Catholic faiths.
Plural marriage was also a contentious issue, first set down “as a principle” by Joseph Smith in 1843. Historian James Morone, writing about the sensibilities of American Victorian-era purity crusaders, argues that Americans were told that, “Women were stolen, locked in barred rooms, and sexually abused by foreigners, by Roman Catholics. The Victorians made a similar story out of Mormon polygamy; tyrannical men imprisoned women and forced them to serve as sex slaves.”
Religious Faith and American Politics
Until the election of John F. Kennedy in 1960, all Presidents identified with some form of established Protestant religion. The religious affiliation of presidential candidates, however, was never a major issue as it is in the post-modern presidency (excepting Catholic Alfred Smith in the 1928 presidential election). Mitt Romney may be a Mormon, but Mormons are also well-known for holding to strong conservative values, including family structure and morality considerations.
Ever since the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 and the rise of Rev. Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority, American evangelicals have become more proactive in politics. Rev. Jeffress’ Dallas church’s website endorsement of Rick Perry is an example of this evangelical foray into presidential politics. But will it make a difference to millions of Americans that appear to be more concerned with job creation and economic issues rather than the theological positions represented by the candidates' faith traditions?
At a prayer breakfast in South Carolina on October 13, 2011, Anita Perry disclosed that God told her that her husband should run for the presidency. A June 26, 2011 media story comments that Michele Bachmann also received a message from God telling her to run for the presidency (CBS News, June 26, 2011). Since several candidates are getting similar messages of personal revelation from God, why should Romney’s private religious beliefs be treated any differently?
On October 12, 2011 New Jersey Governor Chris Christie endorsed Mitt Romney. Like former Pennsylvania senator and GOP candidate Rick Santorum, Christie is a Roman Catholic, but evangelicals have not used the religion card to discredit either politician. Evangelicals barely whispered any protests when the U.S. Supreme Court became comprised of members of the Catholic and Jewish faith traditions; not one of the present nine justices is Protestant. Romney’s faith tradition, although conflicting with evangelical beliefs, should carry no merit in selecting who will represent the Republican Party in the presidential election of 2012.
References:
- Brian J. L. Berry, “Mormonism: From the Burned-Over District to the Deseret Kingdom,” America’s Utopian Experiments: Communal Havens From Long-Wave Crises (University Press of New England, Dartmouth College, 1992)
- James A. Morone, Hellfire Nation: The Politics of Sin in American History (Yale University Press, 2003)
- Matt Katz and Thomas Fitzerald, “Christie endorses Romney,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 12, 2011
- Lucy Madison, “Bachman: Got ‘sense’ from God to run for office,” CBS News, June 26, 2011
- Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults: The Definitive Work on this Subject, Chapter 6 (Bethany House, 2003)
- Dan Merica, “Pastor who endorsed Perry accused of breaking tax law,” CNN, October 12, 2011
- Page Smith, “The Mormons,” The Nation Comes of Age: A People’s History of the Ante-Bellum Years, Volume Four (McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1981)
- Ali Weinberg, “Anita Perry reflects on campaign’s ‘rough month,’” MSNBC First Read, October 13, 2011
- Historical documents, The Spirit of Seventy-Six, Henry S. Commager and Richard B. Morris, editors (Castle Books/Harper-Collins, 2002)
- Hill Cumorah Historical Site
Copyright +michaelstreich
Join the Conversation