Mitt Romney in 2012 wiki / Mormon

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Dec 25, 2006; Mitt Romney 2008: America's First Mormon President? The New England * * Republican Who Might Make It So

People shouldn't support Mitt because he is Mormon.

Reasons to agree

Reasons to disagree

If evangelicals allow Romney’s religion to derail the candidacy of a brilliant, faithful, man of integrity like Governor Romney, is there any assurance -- any assurance at all -- that the very same reasoning won't be turned on evangelicals.
It sets a bad precedent to allow someone’s religion to be a factor in politics.
Religious doctrine has little to do with the kind of politician someone is.
"Evangelicals for Mitt exists because we want a president who shares our political and moral values and priorities, can win in 2008, and can govern effectively thereafter." http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/why.php
"We believe that the leader of the free world should not only understand, but also articulate why, a values-based governing strategy will result in a more humane, just, and compassionate society." http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/why.php
"He shares our values, and he’s fought for those values in hostile territory—the liberal state of Massachusetts. He’s not just right on the relevant issues (from the protection of traditional marriage, to the sanctity of life, to the importance of articulating a broader faith-based agenda); he’s a thoughtful advocate for these positions. America is ready for someone who doesn’t just act, but tries also to persuade, and someone who has the moral courage to back up his positions." http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/why.php
"Gov. Romney led Massachusetts out of the economic wilderness at the same time that he held the line on same-sex “marriage,” opposed Democratic efforts to dramatically expand embryonic stem cell research, and resisted attempts to expand abortion services in the state." http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/why.php
Gov. Romney does not just say he supports traditional marriage; he has defended traditional marriage at great political cost. In 2003, through a breathtaking act of judicial activism, Massachusetts’ supreme court imposed same-sex “marriage” on the state. If not for Gov. Romney’s swift intervention, this action may have led to a national constitutional crisis. Same-sex couples from across the U.S. could have come to Massachusetts, gotten “married,” and then demanded that their home states honor the “marriages”—creating a national wave of litigation and conflicting decisions from state to state. Instead, Gov. Romney and his staff vigorously enforced a little-known 1913 law that prevents out-of-state couples from marrying in Massachusetts if their marriage would be illegal in their home state, keeping Massachusetts from becoming, as he called it, “the Las Vegas of ‘gay marriage.’” He followed this stand with a dynamic and articulate response to Democratic efforts to dramatically expand embryonic stem cell research." http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/why.php
"To be perfectly clear, we believe Governor Romney is not only acceptable to conservative Christians, but that he is clearly the best choice for people of faith. He is right on all the issues, and he has proven his positions with actions. He is a gifted and persuasive spokesman for our political and moral values. Here is the bottom line: the 2008 election is for president, not pastor." http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/why.php
"We would never advocate that the Governor become our pastor or lead our churches—we disagree with him profoundly on theological issues. But we reject the notion that the president of the United States has to be in perfect harmony with our religious doctrine. In fact, that is not a test that has been applied before—after all, Jimmy Carter was probably more theologically in line with evangelicals than Ronald Reagan, yet we believe that Reagan was clearly the better choice in 1980." http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/why.php

"Mitt Romney has been a standout conservative governor of a very liberal state. And it’s not just us saying that: National Review, the conservative journal of record, and many others have said the same thing. He believes in the traditional family, and he has fought for it because he truly believes it gives children the best chance for a future. He, like us, is pro-life because he wants to support the weakest and most defenseless members of society. He opposes embryonic stem cell research because he wants to protect the sanctity of human life from speculative and open-ended scientific research. Perhaps most importantly, he holds these values because they are good, not because they are politically expedient. (For him, they have not been politically expedient at all!) He’s shown courage under fire in several challenging situations, and has lived out his values (both publicly and privately) during a time when other Republicans, sadly, have not." http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/why.php

Interest of those who agree:

Stopping Mormonism (if they think extra scrutiny will help the Mormon church)
Advancing their own church
Saving the country from cultist

Interest of those who disagree:

Advancing Mormonism
Stopping religious bigotry.
Advancing pluralism

People won't support Mitt because he is Mormon.

Reasons to agree:

Some religious people try to demonize those of other religions. To say that you agree with them on anything is to admit that they are people, and that they are capable of rational thought. It is better to say that everything they do is bad.
Some religious people look at religion is a competition, and any time someone does well from another religion or attains a place of power they think that it hurts them and their religion.
Some people don't vote for a candidate as an individual they vote for the candidate based on which group he or she fits into. They vote for someone who is from the same group that they are, weather it is race, religion, economic background, career, etcetera.
People who think that a certain religion is stupid will naturally think those that believe that religion to be stupid. They will question their judgment on other matters.
“I spent this weekend with an evangelical conservative Republican group and everyone said, ‘Well it doesn’t bother me, but my friends.’

Reasons to disagree:

"Recent polls have found that around 40 percent of Americans say they would not vote for a Mormon for president -- though nearly as many said they would have reservations voting for a Catholic in 1960, the year John F. Kennedy won the White House."
Most theological questions are irrelevant to the presidency.
Mormon's aren't the only weird religion. Every religion believes weird things, and has some weirdo’s and skeletons in their closets.
Most people don’t look at the religion of someone when they decide weather or not to vote for a candidate.
It is not in our countries self interest to discriminate based on religion, when hiring in business or government. People will eventually do what is in their own self interest.
Some people might vote for Mitt, just because the novelty of having a Mormon president, or to embrace tolerance.
Main stream religious leaders] don't have problems with him.
"Yes, Gov. Romney is a Mormon. We are not. According to the liberal media, this is an unbridgeable gap, and evangelicals will never turn out to support a faithful Mormon like Governor Romney. As usual, the media have it wrong. And they root their error (as usual) in a fundamental misunderstanding about American evangelicals—seeing us as ignorant and intolerant simpletons who are incapable of making sophisticated political value judgments." http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/why.php