LAST UPDATED FEB. 6, 2008: On Feb. 7, two days after a disappointing showing on Super Tuesday, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney ended his presidential campaign. Observers say his Mormon faith was one factor in his inability to attract more support among voters. An August 2007 poll found that one in four Americans say they would be less likely to vote for a Mormon for president. Romney gave a speech on the role of religion in America’s public life on Dec. 6, 2007, though he made scant reference to his own faith. Romney is just one of a number of Mormons prominent in U.S. politics, and his campaign served to increase some Americans’ understanding of Mormonism while also raising questions about the viability of Mormons for national political office.
Mormons say they are Christian because they believe in Jesus Christ and consider the Bible Holy Scripture. However, many Christian groups say they do not accept Mormons as Christian because of their beliefs on the nature of God, salvation, and scripture (Mormons revere three other scriptures, including the Book of Mormon, some of whose teachings differ from the Bible).
Evangelicals – a large and important constituency in the GOP – in particular often reject Mormon theology as un-Christian. But political observers say Mormons and evangelicals also share concerns that could unite them politically – both groups oppose abortion, physician-assisted suicide, same-sex marriage and gay rights, and both generally support “traditional” marriage. Likewise, Roman Catholic beliefs do not accord with Mormon doctrine, and Catholics make up 27 percent of the American electorate. Still, traditional Catholics’ views on some social issues also accord with Mormons’.
Evangelical support was closely watched in the race between Romney and Sen. John McCain, whose positions have alienated some religious conservative leaders, and Mike Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Baptist preacher. Romney was endorsed by several evangelical leaders, including Paul M. Weyrich, Mark DeMoss, and Bob Jones III.
Why it matters
The religious faith of presidential candidates has grown in importance among voters since 1960, and it will likely influence the 2008 election. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the fastest-growing religions in the world. In the United States, it claims just under 5.6 million members.
What they believe
Mormons theology differs significantly from traditional Christian theology:
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints posts a Web page on its beliefs and doctrines.
• Beliefnet.com maintains a page explaining these differences between Mormon and traditional Christian beliefs.
• The Religious Tolerance web site maintains a history of the conflict between Mormons and traditional Christians.
National sources
Jump to:
MORMONS
• Robert Millet is a professor of ancient Scriptures at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He helped organize the 2004 gathering of evangelicals and Mormons in Salt Lake City that included Richard Mouw and Ravi Zacharias and has frequently engaged in Mormon-evangelical dialogue. Contact 801-422-7042, robert_millet@byu.edu.
• Kent P. Jackson is a professor of ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He wrote an article titled “Are Mormons Christians? Presbyterians, Mormons and the Question of Religious Definitions” for the 2000 edition of Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. Contact 801-422-3139, kent_jackson@byu.edu.
• Michael Otterson is head of public relations for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah. He can discuss the church and its stand on politics and government matters, including backgrounders. Contact 801-450-8911, OttersonMR@ldschurch.org.
• Scott Gordon is president of the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, an organization that defends Mormon theology, in Mesa, Ariz. Contact 530-225-4645, president@fairlds.org.
SCHOLARS
• Francis J. Beckwith teaches a course on politics and religion at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he is also associate director of the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies and associate editor of the Journal of Church and State. He is co-editor of The New Mormon Challenge: Responding to the Latest Defenses of a Fast-Growing Movement (Zondervan, 2002), a book of essays by evangelical scholars about Mormon growth. He says if Romney, like Kennedy, were to declare that his religion would have no bearing on his decisions, most religious voters would not vote for him. Contact francis_beckwith@baylor.edu.
• Craig L. Blomberg contributed an essay titled “Is Mormonism Christian?” to the book The New Mormon Challenge: Responding to the Latest Defenses of a Fast-Growing Movement (Zondervan, 2002). He is a professor of New Testament at the Denver Seminary in Littleton, Colo. He thinks Romney’s religious affiliation “would still be more of an obstacle” than Catholicism was in 1960. But he says much could affect the way religious voters think of Romney, including how alike politically he and his fellow Republican front-runners are, and who his Democratic opponent(s) might eventually be. Contact Sarah Rymer in the seminary’s public relations office, 303-762-6884, sarah.rymer@denverseminary.edu.
• Kathleen Flake is a lawyer and professor of American religious history at Vanderbilt Divinity School at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. She is the author of The Politics of American Religious Identity: The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle (University of North Carolina Press, 2004). Contact 615-343-3978, kathleen.flake@vanderbilt.edu.
• Terryl L. Givens is a professor of literature and religion at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Va. He is the author of several books on Latter-day Saints, including The Latter-day Saint Experience in America (Greenwood Press, 2004). He predicts Romney’s religious affiliation will have little net impact, with those who are against Mormonism being balanced by those who find its morality refreshing. Contact 804-289-8303, tgivens@richmond.edu.
• David Leege is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame who lives much of the year in Arizona. Leege is a leading expert on Catholic voting patterns. Contact 520-399-9874, David.C.Leege.1@nd.edu.
• Greg Johnson is a founder of Standing Together a Utah-based group that promotes evangelical-Mormon dialogue and understanding. He says a Romney candidacy will cause great concern among evangelicals, many of whom think of Mormons as a non-Christian cult. Contact 801-474-1363, info@standingtogether.org.
• Richard Mouw is president of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. In November 2004 he participated in a joint celebration between Mormons and evangelicals in Salt Lake City in which he apologized to members of the LDS church for “bearing false witness” against them in characterizing their beliefs. His comments generated criticism from other evangelicals. Contact 626-584-5201, rjmouw@fuller.edu.
• R. Philip Roberts is president of the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., and the author of Mormonism Unmasked: Confronting the Contradictions Between Mormon Beliefs and True Christianity (Broadman and Holman, 1998). Contact 816-414-3701, proberts@mbts.edu.
• Geoffrey Layman is an associate professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland in College Park. He wrote The Great Divide: Religious and Cultural Conflict in American Party Politics (Columbia University Press, 2001). Contact 301-405-9709, glayman@gvpt.umd.edu.
• Carl Mosser is a co-editor of The New Mormon Challenge: Responding to the Latest Defenses of a Fast-Growing Movement (Zondervan, 2002). He is an assistant professor of biblical studies at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pa. Contact 610-341-5850, cmosser@eastern.edu.
• Boyd Petersen is interim chairman of the Mormon studies program at Utah Valley State College in Orem, Utah. He says he thinks Romney will have more trouble with the voters regarding his Mormon faith than Kennedy did with his Catholicism. But Petersen thinks that if Romney is open about the similarities and differences between Mormonism and mainstream Christianity, his candidacy may benefit relations between the two groups. Contact 801-863-6181, petersbo@uvsc.edu.
• Corwin Smidt is director of the Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics and a professor of political science at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. He is author, editor or co-author of 10 books on religion and public life, including In God We Trust? Religion and American Political Life (Baker Academic, 2001). Contact smid@calvin.edu.
• Rodney Stark is the author of The Rise of Mormonism (Columbia University Press, 2005), a collection of essays. He is a professor of sociology of religion at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Contact 254-710-7220, socstark@aol.com.
• Lane Williams teaches communications at Brigham Young University-Idaho. He is a former reporter and as of 2009 was conducting research into media coverage of the LDS (he is a Mormon) in past years and up through Romney’s candidacy. Contact 208-496-2964, williamsl@byui.edu.
• Alan Wolfe is director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College. He says Romney’s major hurdle will be in winning the nomination, especially if another Republican candidate is appealing to evangelicals. Contact 617-552-1862, wolfe@bc.edu.
POLITICAL ANALYSTS
• John C. Green is director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron in Ohio. He says Romney’s Mormon faith may help in drawing together a grass-roots support network from his co-believers, which Green says could have a large impact in the Western states. Contact 330-972-5182, green@uakron.edu.
• Michael Barone is a political analyst, senior writer for U.S. News & World Report and principal co-author of The Almanac of American Politics (National Journal, 2004). He has said Americans increasingly vote as they pray, or don’t pray. Contact via Patricia Jackson in publicity at Regnery Publishing, 202-216-0600.
• Mike Murphy is a Republican political consultant with DC Navigators who has advised candidates, including John McCain of Arizona, Jeb Bush, former Michigan governor John Engler and Romney. In February 2006, Murphy stepped away from Romney’s campaign. Contact 202-315-5100.
• Amy Sullivan is an editor of Washington Monthly magazine. She wrote a September 2005 article in which she described Romney’s Mormonism as a problem for evangelical voters. The results of the straw poll have not changed her views because, she says, they do not reflect the views of the Christian Right base nor “the results of any whispering campaigns” by other candidates. Contact amysullivandc@gmail.com.
• The Rev. Richard John Neuhaus is the founder and editor of First Things, a monthly journal promoting orthodox religious thought. Contact at 212-627-1985, ft@firstthings.com.
• Trent Wisecup is the former director of Romney’s Massachusetts political action committee. He is a vice president at DC Navigators. Contact 202-315-5100.
ELECTED OFFICIALS
• U.S. Representatives who are Mormon are listed under Regional Sources.
• Mitt Romney is the Republican governor of Massachusetts and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is campaigning for the 2008 Republican nomination for president. Contact Eric Fehrnstrom, director of communications in the governor’s press office, 617-725-4025, communications.director@state.ma.us.
• U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) is a member of the LDS church. His father was also a senator from Utah. Contact via Mary Jane Collipriest, 202-224-5444.
• U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) is a member of the LDS church. Contact via Susan Wheeler, communications director, 202-224-5150.
• U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is a member of the LDS church who has run for president. In the 2000 presidential primaries, he encountered anti-Mormon sentiment in the Midwest and ultimately withdrew from the race. Contact 202-224-5251.
• U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is U.S. Senate Majority Leader and a member of the LDS church. He has been mentioned as a possible contender for the Democratic presidential or vice presidential nomination in 2008, raising the possibility of a choice between two Mormons. Contact 202 224-9521.
• U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) is a member of the LDS church. Contact via Chris Matthews, 202-224-3753.
DENOMINATIONAL SOURCES
• Stephen Drachler is executive director of public information for United Methodist Communications. The denomination has published guidelines for accepting members from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that outline some of the key theological differences between the two groups. Contact 615-742-5411 or 615-456-4710 (cell), SDrachler@UMCOM.org.
• The Salt Lake City Diocese says at least 120,000 of Utah’s 2.4 million residents are Catholic. They are awaiting the appointment of a new bishop. Contact Shirley Mares, 801-328-8641 ext. 304, Shirley.mares@dioslc.org.
• R. Philip Roberts is president of the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo. He is the author of the Southern Baptist Convention’s statement on Mormonism and Mormonism Unmasked: Confronting the Contradictions Between Mormon Beliefs and True Christianity (Broadman and Holman, 1998). Contact 816-414-3701, proberts@mbts.edu.
CRITICS
• John Ankerberg is president of the Ankerberg Theological Research Institute in Chattanooga, Tenn. He has a daily radio and television show. An FAQ on his web site asks whether Mormons and Christians believe the same thing. His conclusion is they do not. Contact 423-892-7722.
• Roberta Combs is president of the Christian Coalition, a political action organization that describes itself as “pro-family.” According to news releases on its web site, the coalition has several times agreed with statements made by Mitt Romney. Contact Michele Combs in the press office, 202-479-6900, michele@cc.org.
• Ed Decker is president of Saints Alive in Jesus, an evangelical Christian mission to Mormons, Freemasons and other groups the mission considers cults. He is a former Mormon and co-author of The God Makers (Harvest House, 1997, revised edition). Contact ed@saintsalive.com.
• Fritz Ridenour is the author of So What’s the Difference (Gospel Light, 2001, original publication 1967), in which he compares Christianity to other world religions, including Mormonism. The book is endorsed by Focus on the Family and declares that Mormonism is not compatible with Christianity. Ridenour lives in Santa Barbara, Calif. Contact via Gospel Light publicity manager Marlene Baer, 800-235-3415 ext. 1256.
• James R. Spencer is a minister and author of seven books on cults, the occult and secularism. He wrote an article about Mormonism and Christianity for the Assemblies of God magazine, Today’s Pentecostal Evangel. He runs the web site Maze Ministry. He lives in Boise, Idaho. Leave a message at 800-871-7120.
Background
• The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life provides an analysis of public opinion on Mormonism and how it affects Romney’s candidacy. It also posts a resource page on Romney and Mormonism, including a candidate profile.
• Read the statements of five Christian denominations on Mormonism as posted on the web site of the Institute for Religious Research.
• The British Broadcasting Corp. maintains a comprehensive web site on Mormon history and theology.
• Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif., held a conference on “Religion and the American Presidency” in April 2005 that included a panel on the relationships between American presidents and voters of Catholic, Protestant, evangelical, Muslim and Jewish faiths. The conference also investigated the growing influence these groups have on American politics.
ARTICLES
• Read a Feb. 1, 2008, Associated Press story about Romney’s comments about the death of Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It’s posted by Yahoo.
• Read a Dec. 7, 2007, New York Times article about Mitt Romney’s Dec. 6 speech about religion in America. Read the text of the speech, posted by theBostonChannel.com.
• Read a Dec. 4, 2007, Salt Lake Tribune article about LDS leaders’ comments about Romney’s upcoming speech.
• See a Feb. 8, 2007, New York Times story about Romney addressing his Mormon faith.
• Read a Jan. 3, 2007, Associated Press article about Romney filing papers to form a presidential exploratory committee. The article is posted on the Fox News Web site.
• Read a January 2007 New Republic article about Romney’s Mormon faith.
• Read a Dec. 31, 2006, Boston Globe article about the similarities and differences between Mormons and evangelicals on political hot-button issues such as abortion, stem cell research and gay rights.
• Read a Religion News Service article by Kimberly Winston about how Romney can bridge the gap with conservative evangelical Christians. It’s posted by Beliefnet.com.
• Read a December 2005 National Review interview with Michael Cromartie, director of the Evangelical Studies Project at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, on how evangelicals view a Romney candidacy.
• Read a Dec. 22, 2005, article by Frank Phillips from The Boston Globe about Romney’s political ideology.
• Read a June 6, 2005, article by Terry Eastland of The Weekly Standard on the viability of a Romney candidacy.
• Read a November 2004 Christianity Today weblog describing a joint celebration between evangelicals and Mormons held in Salt Lake City. The meeting was notable for an apology issued by Richard Mouw of Fuller Theological Seminary to members of the LDS church and for “bearing false witness” against them in describing their beliefs. It was also notable for the comments of evangelical Ravi Zacharias on the differences between Mormonism and Christianity.
• Read a Nov. 9, 2002, story by Michael Paulson of The Boston Globe about Mitt Romney’s election as governor of Massachusetts. The story is posted by the Center for Studies on New Religions.
• Read an October 1997 feature story in St. Anthony Messenger on how Roman Catholics and their diocese operate in Utah, which is dominated by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Regional sources
IN THE NORTHEAST
• Walton Brown Foster teaches a course on religion and politics at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain. Contact via Peter Kilduff, director of communications, 860-832-1791.
• Mark Silk is the founding director of the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. Contact 860-297-2352, mark.silk@trincoll.edu.
• Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is a professor of early American history at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Contact 617-496-9548, ulrich@fas.harvard.edu.
IN THE EAST
• Louis Bolce teaches a course on religion and politics at Baruch College in New York City. With Gerald De Maio, also of Baruch College, he has written that the clearest indicator of voting patterns is religious affiliation. Contact 646-312-4416, Louis_Bolce@baruch.cuny.edu.
• Patrick Lynch teaches a course on religion and politics at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. Contact 716-888-2831, lynchp@canisius.edu.
• Hiroshi Obayashi teaches a course on religion and politics at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. Contact 732-932-9638, obayahk@rci.rutgers.edu.
IN THE SOUTHEAST
• John-Charles Duffy is a graduate student in the religious studies department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From 2001-04, he helped coordinate a series of brown bag discussions on Mormon studies at the University of Utah. Contact jcduffy@email.unc.edu.
• Ferrel Guillory is director of SouthNow, the Program on Southern Politics, Media and Public Life at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. He says Romney’s religious affiliation is not likely to be as significant to voters as his stance on moral issues, including abortion and school prayer. Contact 919-962-5936, guillory@unc.edu.
• James Guth is a professor of political science at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. He has described Romney’s faith as “not an advantage.” Contact james.guth@furman.edu.
• J. David Woodard is a professor of political science at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C., and author of The New Southern Politics (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2006). He told the Greenville (S.C.) News that “as the vote nears, Romney, alas, like his dad, will have no traction” with Southern evangelical voters. Romney’s father ran unsuccessfully for president in the 1960s. Contact 864-656-3233.
• Ron Cappelli runs Accent on Mormon Beliefs in Richmond, Va. He says the question shouldn’t be about Romney – or any candidate’s – religion, but rather about his morality. Contact roncapelli@usa.com.
IN THE SOUTH
• Robert B. Stewart is an associate professor of philosophy and theology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He has provided an evangelical critique of Mormonism at several conferences. Contact 504-282-4455 ext. 8017, rstewart@nobts.edu.
• Charles Reagan Wilson is director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. He has said that he believes Romney’s Mormonim “will matter” to Southern evangelicals. Contact 662-915-5993, crwilson@olemiss.edu.
IN THE MIDWEST
• Douglas Firth Anderson is a professor of history at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. Contact 712-707-7000, firth@nwciowa.edu.
• Paul Djupe teaches a course on religion and politics at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. Contact djupe@denison.edu.
• Laurie Bagby teaches a course on religion and politics at Kansas State University. Contact 785-532-0441, lauriej@ksu.edu.
• Christopher Buck teaches a course on American religious mythology at Michigan State University. Contact 517-394-2404, buckc@msu.edu.
• Kevin den Dulk teaches a course on religion and politics in the United States at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich. He says Romney is taking a page from Kennedy’s playbook in acknowledging his own religious identity while attempting to persuade voters that his faith will not be his ultimate guide in policy-making. He also notes that the LDS church has spent considerable energy trying to show its mainstream credentials throughout the Salt Lake City Olympics and beyond. Contact 616-331-2991, dendulkk@gvsu.edu.
• Steve Pike is director of U.S. missions for the Assemblies of God in Springfield, Mo. Previously, he was director of church planting and development for the Rocky Mountain District of the Assemblies of God and served 10 years as a church planter and pastor in Utah, where he co-founded Project Exodus, a ministry aimed at “freeing victims of false-faith groups in America.” Contact 417-862-2781 ext. 3252.
IN THE SOUTHWEST
• Stephen E. Robinson is a professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He is the co-author of How Wide the Divide? A Mormon and an Evangelical in Conversation (InterVarsity Press, 1997). Contact 801-422-5109, stephen_robinson@byu.edu.
• David Knowlton is a professor of anthropology at Utah Valley State College in Orem, Utah. With John-Charles Duffy, he organized a three-year series of brown-bag discussions on Mormon studies at the University of Utah. Topics ranged from the Mormon migration to Mormon-Jewish relations in Utah. Contact knowltda@uvsc.edu.
• Jerald and Sandra Tanner are the founders of Utah Lighthouse Ministry, which seeks to bring the Christian message to members of the LDS church, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Both were raised in the LDS church. Contact 801-485-8894.
• U.S. Rep. Ernest Istook is a Republican who represents Oklahoma’s 5th District and is a member of the LDS church. Contact 405-234-9900 (Oklahoma City) or 202-225-2132 (Washington, D.C.).
• Jeff Flake is a U.S. representative from Arizona’s 6th District and a member of the LDS church. He is up for re-election in November 2006. Contact 202-225-2635 (Washington, D.C.) or 480-833-0092 (Mesa, Ariz.).
• Tom Udall is a Democrat and a U.S. representative from New Mexico’s 3rd District and a member of the LDS church. He is up for re-election in November 2006. Contact 202-225-6190.
• Chris Cannon is a U.S. representative from Utah’s 3rd District and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Contact 202-225-7751.
IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST
• John Doolittle is a U.S. representative serving California’s 4th District and a member of the LDS church. Contact 202-225-2511 (Washington, D.C.) or 916-786-5560 (California).
• Jim Gibbons is a U.S. representative from Nevada’s 2nd District and a member of the LDS church. Contact 202-225-6155 (Washington, D.C.) or 775-686-5760 (Nevada).
• Wally Herger is a U.S. representative from California’s 2nd District and a Mormon. Contact 202-225-3076 (Washington, D.C.) or 530-893-8363 (California).
• Jared Ludlow teaches a course comparing Mormonism to world religions at Brigham Young University-Hawaii in Laie. Contact 808-293-3837, ludlowj@byuh.edu.
• Buck McKeon is a U.S. representative from California’s 25th District and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Contact 202- 225-1956 (in Washington, D.C.) or 661-274-9688 (California).
• Kerry D. McRoberts is pastor of Kings Circle Assembly of God in Corvallis, Ore. He wrote an article for Enrichment Journal challenging the biblical basis of Mormonism. While he describes Mormonism as “a nonChristian cult,” he says that any courage and honesty Romney may show in his ability and willingness to tackle the issues would be more important to him as a voter than Romney’s particular religion. Contact 541-757-9080, mac@kcag.org.
• The Rev. Dr. Jeffery E. Sells is rector of St. David of Wales Church in Shelton, Wash., and the editor of God and Country: Politics in Utah (Signature Books, 2005). Contact 360-426-8472.
• Mike Simpson is a Republican U.S. representative from Idaho’s 2nd District and a member of the LDS church. He will be up for re-election in November 2006. Contact 202-225-5531 (Washington, D.C.) or 208-334-1953 (Idaho).
