I vow to not make an issue out of Romney's religion during this election season...

[MrScorpio]

Whether or not he meets some strict definition of what is or is not a "Christian" should not matter at all. We have freedom of (and from) religion in this country.

There is no religious litmus test for election to any political office in the United States of America.

Period.

That being said, I will say that I wish that Romney's faith was MORE out of the "mainstream" than it already is… Frankly, I think it's remarkable that any major party is considering someone who isn't a traditional Christian, a member of the Jewish faith, or even an adherent of Islam as its candidate for President.

We've come a long way, baby.

But, wouldn't it be wonderful if the GOP could deem to embrace a candidate who is a follower of one of the other religions, perhaps one that very few people in this country have ever even heard of?

Like perhaps a religion like the one that one of my own cousins had embraced; Baha'i? Or maybe someone who belongs to Jainism, Shinto, Cao Dai, Zoroastrianism, Tenrikyo, Neo-Paganism, Unitarian-Universalism, Rastafarianism or Scientology?

Wow, that would be great, wouldn't it?

But we could go even further than that.

If we really want to come a long way into adopting tolerance as a society, nothing says that better than by adopting the granddaddy of religious choices:

No Religion At ALL!

[SteveABG]

1. As an atheist

I could care less what religion the Presidential candidates are, and I look forward to the day that nobody talks about whatever religion they are, or are not!

[MADem]

2. I will. When his religion bumps up against legal activities in USA, it's fair game.

Choice, birth control, marriage equality, equal rights and opportunities for female citizens, alcohol, coca-cola, coffee--and those fundie sects of that faith that still like a bunch of wives, some of whom are underaged.

I'll point it out. I won't be too rude about it, but I'm not going to pretend there's no difference, when there is.

[The Second Stone]

3. Mitt Romney worships monied interests

and you bet I will bring that up. He is against everything a great man like George Romney was for. As for Mormons, I have a great deal of respect for them. But Mitt worships money.

[baldguy]

6. +1000

The predominant religion of the Republican Party is Corporatism.

[Tunkamerica]

7. I have a great deal of respect for people with hitchhiker's thumbs and widow's peaks.

[Tunkamerica]

4. you lost me at scientology.

signing poor members up to billion year labor contracts. Keeping members on cruise ships against their will for over a decade... IT's not a religion. It's a money-making scheme that has a very dark underbelly.

[WeekendWarrior]

15. Well, you can say the EXACT same thing about Christianity

It's just been around longer, exploited more people, and been the cause for millions of deaths. Yet people drop coins and dollar bills into that plate every single week.

[lumberjack_jeff]

38. Lost me at "religion".

Given the choice, I'll support elected officials who don't take the "belief" shortcut.

And magic underwear is a whole 'nother level of stupid.

[GodlessBiker]

5. I will. His religious beliefs should be scrutinized ...

just like any other belief. The "no religious test" thing should apply to the legal qualifications for the job (age, citizenship), not to an individual's judgment about whether one should vote for a candidate.

[siligut]

8. If it's left up to Mitt, you won't get to do that

A Ron Paul supporter, 28-year-old Bret Hatch, asked Romney whether he agreed with a passage from the Book of Mormon that describes a cursing of people with a "skin of blackness." Romney's staff took away the microphone before the Green Bay man could read the passage.

"I'm sorry, we're just not going to have a discussion about religion in my view, but if you have a question I'll be happy to answer your question," Romney said Monday.

Hatch then asked whether Romney thought it was a sin for interracial couples to have children.

"No. Next question," Romney responded curtly.

http://start.toshiba.com/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CD9TT0QTO2%40news.ap.org%3E&ps=1018

I agree with you, scrutiny would reveal so much. BTW, what I do know about his religion, interracial marriage is not at all accepted, but I don't know their definition of sin.

[GodlessBiker]

9. +1

[obamanut2012]

16. +1

[Javaman]

10. You want to make it an issue?

then ask any mormon regarding Cain and Abel and Bigfoot.

I shit you not.

I have friends in Utah. This is a common knowledge sort of weirdness.

You can start here. It will make your brain warp.

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sa=X&ei=Mv16T5HaMuOQ2QXR7f2NAw&ved=0CBgQBSgA&q=mormon+cain+abel+bigfoot&spell=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=50aeccfec5fc8449&biw=528&bih=248

[MrScorpio]

11. He could worship the divinity of tree nymphs for all I care

Personally, considering someone's religious beliefs in any measure and not exclusively taking into account whatever policy beliefs they hold for public office is silly.

Gaging my own beliefs against someone else's in a free society is nothing more than superstitious hypocrisy.

I was listening to Stevie Wonder the other day. And when he sang, "When you believe in things that you don't understand, then you suffer. Superstition ain't the way" he was singing the truth.

[Javaman]

12. I completely agree. That's why the whole bigfoot thing needs to be brought up. nt

[Sheepshank]

13. In mormondom, being worthy enough to become a god is paramount.

And of course the Mormon faith and books and doctrines describe clearly what is required to attain that godhood. Unless you've lived in the LDS community and believed their form of magikal thinking for generltions (almost so you don't know any other way), you have no idea the major impact that has on decision making.

When faced with what Romney considers a moral crossroads (again, based on his religions background), his ultimate decision will be weighed with his eternal godhood in mind. The eternities will always trump something that has an earthly timeline.

[siligut]

17. This is my contention too

If Mitt truly believes, even as POTUS he will do what he needs to do for godhood.

[WeekendWarrior]

14. I'll be happy to make an issue of it

The Mormon faith is a fraud, and anyone who identifies him or herself as Mormon has fallen for that fraud. But then the same can be said of any form of Christianity. Anyone who believes in a fairytale based on "faith" has problems.

And that includes Obama, if he truly is a Christian. I have a feeling he's merely pandering to the idiots in the country who can't imagine having a president who isn't religious.

[onenote]

24. Oh, that silly pandering Martin Luther King Jr.

and all those idiot church members that listened to him.

[WeekendWarrior]

34. Pointing out one or two people

who managed to rise above the idiocy and actually do good doesn't change the fact that religion is nothing more than fairytales created to comfort and control the masses.

[onenote]

39. To quote you: "Anyone who believes in a fairytale based on "faith" has problems."

By the way, not everyone (and indeed, quite a large number of people) who define and describe themselves as religious or as belonging to a particular religious faith do not believe in the literal truth of their religion's doctrine.

[cherokeeprogressive]

33. You believe President Obama is a bald faced liar who is pandering to idiots BECAUSE they're idiots.

That gives me a ton of confidence he's in this for the right reasons. If you need to LIE to those you wish to lead in order to gain that position of leadership, then your intentions CANNOT be in tune with what they want, or what is best for them.

IMO, anyone who has to LIE to get elected has absolutely no business trying to lead.

"he's merely pandering to the idiots in the country..." Call me one of those idiots then, and thanks for the heads up.

[WeekendWarrior]

35. If you seriously think

that Obama isn't a liar like every single politician—and most people, for that matter—on the face of the earth, then you're severely deluded about humans and human nature.

But politicians in particular pander all the time. They lie to get elected all the time.

Enjoy your stint in fantasyland.

[cgads]

18. Baha'i

It's great that your cousin is a Baha'i, but you should know that it is impossible (under the current system, anyway) for a Baha'i to be elected POTUS, or be elected to any political office for that matter, since the laws of the Baha'i Faith prohibits its adherents from engaging in partisan politics. The reason is because politics in general tends to be extremely divisive - you hardly ever see a polite political discussion between Republicans and Democrats, do you? - and the Baha'i Faith is all about unity.

Now, if we had a system where there were no political parties, and no campaigning, and people chose candidates based on their background and character and qualifications only, then Baha'is could be considered for public office. Baha'i local and national assemblies are elected in exactly this way - it's still democratic, but all of the nasty partisanship that plagues the current political landscape is absent.

Yes, I am a Baha'i, by the way, and I do vote in every election as an independent.

[MrScorpio]

19. She passed away a couple of years ago

And I understand where you're coming from

[Major Hogwash]

20. I don't know if you know this or not buddy, but . . .

. . . Mormons don't like other religions.
They are very intolerant of other religions.
Moreso than any other religion I have ever seen.
They are extremely clannish, not allowing for marriage outside of their church.
That's because Mormons believe in 3 levels of heaven, the first level is for run-of-the-mill Christians.
The 2nd level is for really good Christians, saints, Popes, and Mormons who didn't quite measure up.
The 3rd level is reserved for really good Mormons, and only really good Mormons.
Those who died while in good standing with the church; in other words, their dues were paid up on time, dues being the 10% tithes to the church, above the regular 10% tithes limit. They've done work for the church, as elders, gaining members by proselytizing, going on a mission or two, that sort of thing.

[MrScorpio]

21. OK, considering what you told me...

Do you think that RMoney would attempt to run America as some kind of Mormonacracy?

[Major Hogwash]

29. Well, to be honest . . .

. . . yes, I do.
Romney's value system is based on his religious beliefs.
He can't separate himself from them now.

[MrScorpio]

30. Well, thanks for being honest… Really.

That's a legit position to take in that particular instance.

You're looking at his faith adherents and sizing that up against his policy positions.

Personally, I don't think that it's necessary to question his faith… Just looking at his political philosophy does it for me.

[Tom Ripley]

22. I bet the Baptists and other snakehandlers will have a big problem with BISHOP Romney's religion

[MrScorpio]

23. FINALLY! Someone gets my point!

About time.

I came to the realization that most of RMoney's so-called voter base would have more problems with the fact that he's a Mormon than people who believe in the separation of church and state.

That's is going to hamstring his ass at the polls.

AS someone who doesn't care what a pol's particular faith is, ONLY what his or her stands on POLICY is, I feel that that is the more progressive position to take here.

We don't need to object to his religion, that's the position that the wingers will take.

[onenote]

25. I don't care about his religion. I care about his public policy positions.

How one labels oneself in terms of religion or lack thereof doesn't tell me much. Romney is a Mormon. So is Harry Reid. So was Mo Udall. But their positions on public policy matters varied widely. As for how they interpreted their religion -- I have no idea and don't care. I'm Jewish. I know Jews that adhere to some rituals and others who do not. Some whose public policy positions are more liberal and some who are more conservative. I know pro-choice, pro-gay rights, anti-war Catholics and I know right wing Catholics. I know Catholics who go to mass every Sunday and Catholics who go to mass on Christmas and Easter. Catholics that take communion, Catholics that don't. Knowing the religion to which a person "belongs" tells you next to nothing about what they personally believe or what their position on public policy matters is.

[MrScorpio]

26. That's a Bingo! nt

[Hatchling]

27. Sorry can't take that vow.

All's fair in love, war, and elections.

And his religion is a vital talking point as far as I can see.

[geardaddy]

28. We've already had four UU presidents (or what would have been UU)

John Adams
John Quincy Adams
Millard Filmore
William Howard Taft

[OKNancy]

31. and Thomas Jefferson ?

He fits in the "would have been" . He sure has been adopted as a UU that's for sure.

[geardaddy]

37. Yep, you're right.

He was raised Anglican but became a Deist.

[Bruce Wayne]

32. I wouldn't brag about Filmore, frankly.

You don't see the Alcholics bragging about Franklin Pierce, do ya?

[geardaddy]

36. I'm not bragging.

just pointing it out. I'm not UU.

[Sheepshank]

41. sorry...doesn't matter what they would have been or wanted.....

they've all been necro-dunked by the mormons.

Oh and as for R fundies having a problem with mormon Mittens...they will hold their noses and vote for him regardless. They are hating on Obama, black, moslem, liberal etc much more.

[geardaddy]

42. Yep, indeed

They have been necro-dunked along with the likes of Anne Frank and others.

[NCTraveler]

40. I wish you would vow to make it an issue.

As his religious beliefs are an attack on all women.

[MrScorpio]

43. A belief in attacking women under any circumstance is itself reprehensible

However, he's entitled to whatever religious beliefs that he holds.

I'm quite comfortable with condemning him for his intent to codify misogyny in government while acknowledging his right to hold whatever religious belief that he sees fit.