We’re still a year away from the election but those eyeing the highest office in the land are already off to the races.
What that means for us voters is that we’re about to inundated with all things political in the 24-hour news cycle. What it means for the candidates is they’re about to be picked apart 30 different ways from Sunday, with the white-hot spotlight trained on every single aspect of their lives, including the very personal choice of religion. For Republican front-runner Mitt Romney that could be problematic.
Romney is a devout Mormon, a fact that, according to a Quinnipiac survey does not sit well with nearly a third of voters who view the religion unfavorably. Fewer than half felt comfortable with the religion at all, and women and African Americans were the most wary. But wait a minute; isn’t the freedom to worship one of the things we hold dearest in this country? Shouldn’t a presidential candidate’s beliefs be between him (or her) and their God?
A little disclosure. In high school I dated a nice young, Mormon boy. Knowing little about the religion and being naturally curious, I set out to learn more. I spent a lot of time with my boyfriend’s family and did quite a bit of research on my own, the budding journalist in me seeking to get a fair and accurate picture of his religion. I learned about their prophet Joseph Smith, his vision and their early beliefs about polygamy. But even as a young girl one of the things that didn’t make sense to me (along with the polygamy) was the church’s stance on people of color holding leadership roles. It wasn’t until 1978, three years before my exploration of the religion, that they finally began allowing people of African descent into the priesthood.
I think most of us expect our leaders to be guided by some sort of moral code, one that is normally rooted in faith. In a country where more than 75 percent identify themselves as Christian, much is unknown about Mormonism and it’s six million members in the U-S. And while there are those who will argue Mormons are Christians, you can find data to support and refute that. But that is not the central question to this post.
So here it is, the question for debate. How big a role should religion play in presidential politics?
Should a candidate’s private beliefs be public record? And should we consider those beliefs when we close the curtain behind us and cast our ballot? Okay, let’s chat it up and remember, please be respectful!
