The Mormon Question
Kelly Baker
If one were to believe CNN or Newsweek, the 2008 election could be an interesting one to watch in the realm of religion because it seems that both news outlets are convinced that religion will be the prime issue in the presidential campaign. In late July of this year, CNN noted “Religion has not played so prominent a role in a U.S. national election since 1960, when John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic to be elected president.” 2008 appears to be the year to watch because the candidates are under scrutiny about their professed religious beliefs. Of course, there is also much hype about the “evangelical vote” and whether the Democrats can prove their faith and win the faithful’s votes. In a Newsweek article last week, entitled “The Miracle Workers,” Eve Conant pondered whether the Democratic National Committee has much chance to to win over prominent evangelicals and their flocks. Conant writes:
For the Democrats, it's a change in tactics as well—an audacious, if not quixotic, effort to win over a constituency that has been solidly Republican for a quarter century. Dean and other Democratic strategists hope to take advantage of deepening discontent with the GOP among some evangelicals. As a movement, conservative Christians have yet to get fired up about any of the leading Republican presidential candidates.
What has proved more intriguing to me in this question of religion and faith is the concern over Mitt Romney’s Mormonism. The question that pundits seem to recycle over and over is whether Romney’s religious faith will prove to be a stumbling block to the White House. According to CNN, “The younger Romney repeatedly is called on to defend his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its teachings, encountering skepticism particularly from Christian conservatives, a key component of the GOP base.” Can a Mormon be elected to the presidency is a question that much resembles the concerns surrounding JFK’s Catholicism in 1960. Does religious commitment of a candidate impact voters? Or are many voters, myself included, tiring of the religion-speak by various folks running for office? In "Mitt's Mission", Jonathan Darman and Lisa Miller explore Romney’s Mormon roots and his commitment to his faith, but they see the problem less as his faith and more about his reticence to dwell on his religious commitment. They write:
Nothing is more politically vexing or personally crucial for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney than the story of his faith. Raised in a devout Mormon family by parents who were both principled and powerful, Romney has downplayed both his religion and his own family history. Instead, he has talked up his résumé as a private-sector "turnaround artist" who reversed the fortunes of troubled companies and the faltering Salt Lake City Olympics and now can come to his party's—and country's—rescue….But when he's pressed on the particulars of his own religious practice, his answers grow terse and he is quick to repeat that his values are rooted in "the Judeo-Christian tradition."
Darman and Miller note that this hesitancy comes from the ambivalence that voters might have about the Church of Latter Day Saints. They continue that Romney’s candidacy brings curiosity about Mormonism, which might or might not be beneficial for the candidate, and not surprisingly, polygamy is mentioned in their article. I wonder if this is beginning of a “Mormon problem” (for lack of better phrasing) for Romney. Can he convince voters that his religious tradition is not as exotic as they think it is? Should he de-emphasize his religious heritage for political gain? Would voters elect a Mormon for president? In a Newsweek poll, only 45% of Iowa Republicans affirmed that America is ready for a Mormon in the oval office. What is more interesting is that according to the aforementioned article, Romney actually is leading the polls in this state.
Ideally, I should hope that religious affiliation of a candidate is not a barrier, but I am not enough of a Pollyanna to believe it either. It strikes me that there is too much obsession with Mormon polygamists in popular culture (Big Love) and in the legal system (the trial of Warren Jeffs) for Romney to avoid the questions about his religious heritage. (The church ended polygamy in 1890, but Mormons and polygamy remain wedded together in the American imagination.) For Darman and Miller, Romney’s success depends upon his embrace of Mormonism to present a convincing and sincere narrative that voters can latch onto. I wonder if this affirmation will elicit responses similar to those of my students who struggle to understand what they consider an exotic form of Christianity or those who dismiss the tradition altogether despite my efforts.
Kelly Baker
If one were to believe CNN or Newsweek, the 2008 election could be an interesting one to watch in the realm of religion because it seems that both news outlets are convinced that religion will be the prime issue in the presidential campaign. In late July of this year, CNN noted “Religion has not played so prominent a role in a U.S. national election since 1960, when John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic to be elected president.” 2008 appears to be the year to watch because the candidates are under scrutiny about their professed religious beliefs. Of course, there is also much hype about the “evangelical vote” and whether the Democrats can prove their faith and win the faithful’s votes. In a Newsweek article last week, entitled “The Miracle Workers,” Eve Conant pondered whether the Democratic National Committee has much chance to to win over prominent evangelicals and their flocks. Conant writes:
For the Democrats, it's a change in tactics as well—an audacious, if not quixotic, effort to win over a constituency that has been solidly Republican for a quarter century. Dean and other Democratic strategists hope to take advantage of deepening discontent with the GOP among some evangelicals. As a movement, conservative Christians have yet to get fired up about any of the leading Republican presidential candidates.
What has proved more intriguing to me in this question of religion and faith is the concern over Mitt Romney’s Mormonism. The question that pundits seem to recycle over and over is whether Romney’s religious faith will prove to be a stumbling block to the White House. According to CNN, “The younger Romney repeatedly is called on to defend his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its teachings, encountering skepticism particularly from Christian conservatives, a key component of the GOP base.” Can a Mormon be elected to the presidency is a question that much resembles the concerns surrounding JFK’s Catholicism in 1960. Does religious commitment of a candidate impact voters? Or are many voters, myself included, tiring of the religion-speak by various folks running for office? In "Mitt's Mission", Jonathan Darman and Lisa Miller explore Romney’s Mormon roots and his commitment to his faith, but they see the problem less as his faith and more about his reticence to dwell on his religious commitment. They write:
Nothing is more politically vexing or personally crucial for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney than the story of his faith. Raised in a devout Mormon family by parents who were both principled and powerful, Romney has downplayed both his religion and his own family history. Instead, he has talked up his résumé as a private-sector "turnaround artist" who reversed the fortunes of troubled companies and the faltering Salt Lake City Olympics and now can come to his party's—and country's—rescue….But when he's pressed on the particulars of his own religious practice, his answers grow terse and he is quick to repeat that his values are rooted in "the Judeo-Christian tradition."
Darman and Miller note that this hesitancy comes from the ambivalence that voters might have about the Church of Latter Day Saints. They continue that Romney’s candidacy brings curiosity about Mormonism, which might or might not be beneficial for the candidate, and not surprisingly, polygamy is mentioned in their article. I wonder if this is beginning of a “Mormon problem” (for lack of better phrasing) for Romney. Can he convince voters that his religious tradition is not as exotic as they think it is? Should he de-emphasize his religious heritage for political gain? Would voters elect a Mormon for president? In a Newsweek poll, only 45% of Iowa Republicans affirmed that America is ready for a Mormon in the oval office. What is more interesting is that according to the aforementioned article, Romney actually is leading the polls in this state.
Ideally, I should hope that religious affiliation of a candidate is not a barrier, but I am not enough of a Pollyanna to believe it either. It strikes me that there is too much obsession with Mormon polygamists in popular culture (Big Love) and in the legal system (the trial of Warren Jeffs) for Romney to avoid the questions about his religious heritage. (The church ended polygamy in 1890, but Mormons and polygamy remain wedded together in the American imagination.) For Darman and Miller, Romney’s success depends upon his embrace of Mormonism to present a convincing and sincere narrative that voters can latch onto. I wonder if this affirmation will elicit responses similar to those of my students who struggle to understand what they consider an exotic form of Christianity or those who dismiss the tradition altogether despite my efforts.
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