Romney’s Mormonism
Yesterday, NRO posted an interesting Q&A with Michael Cromartie assessing the impact of Gov. Mitt Romney’s Mormonism on his presidential ambitions. As a Latter-day Saint or Mormon, I found a couple of Cromartie’s responses a little frustrating:
KJL: Do evangelicals specifically think of Mormonism as a cult? Is there something legit there?
Michael Cromartie: Most evangelicals do perceive Mormonism to be a cult and are deeply troubled by its theology. But this does not mean they would not vote for someone like Governor Romney. They admire his record and they agree with his conservatism on moral, social, and cultural issues. Given a choice between Hillary Clinton versus Governor Romney for President, evangelicals know how to bracket aside their theological differences with the governor and would support him because of his positions on the social issues.
. . .
KJL: Do you hear positive or negative or lukewarm things about Romney when you get into ‘08 conversations?
Cromartie: I hear positive comments about Governor Romney as a person of integrity, and as a successful economic, political, and social conservative in a very blue state. I hear very lukewarm comments about the governor when it comes to his religious tradition. Evangelicals admire the governor but find Mormonism to be a strange and baffling abberation of the historic Christian faith.
Throughout the Q&A, while Cromartie refrains from tossing Romney’s 2008 chances out with the bathwater (and for good reason), he reinforces the false idea that Mormonism is a cult. Likely, Cromartie is among those Evangelicals who are “deeply troubled by the theology” of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and find its orthodoxy “strange and baffling.” It’s easy to call something strange, baffling, or troubling without expanding on why Evangelical perspectives on Mormonism exude such temperamental distress. Mere theological disagreement between Christian religions does not mean that one is a cult and one is not.
Gov. Romney has an excellent shot at winning the Republican nomination precisely because he has an excellent record as a Governor. Romney cut taxes and fought against the Massachusetts Supreme Court’s imposition of same-sex marriage by fiat. He is a legitimate social conservative. His membership in a church over 12 million strong should not militate against his ability to become the next Commander-in-Chief.