Obama or Romney?

How is this a political topic? One would think that religion should not matter in politics.

Can Mormons really be said to be Christians ? It's a valid question I think, and one that plenty of evangelicals will probably be asking themselves. Doesn't bother me so much,except insofar as Joseph Smith was a known fraudster and the religion he founded was such an obvious and transparent lie. Being a committed Mormon does rather suggest a degree of credulousness that you wouldn't ideally like to see in a head of state, although I'd be more worried of Romney were a convert to the faith.

bbauska wrote:How is this a political topic? One would think that religion should not matter in politics.

Agreed.

No, Freeman2. As an evangelical, I look to the best person for the job. Not the one who believes like I do, but is a horrid leader.

I agree with Sass's comment. I have said before that I would have difficulty voting for a Mormon I suspect, however if he had similar political views to mine I would get over it. Clearly a person's religious beliefs are hIghly relevant to their overall belief system so I think that saying a politician's religious beliefs are personal and not relevant to voters is incorrect, at least without further analysis. I think the best argument that can be made is that we are simply better off if we agree that a politician's religious beliefs should remain private, because it would lead to religious bickering , there would be too much focus on a candidate's religious beliefs as opposed to more pertinent info, and in general the electorate could not properly handle/weigh the information A lot of relevant evidence is kept from juries on the grounds they cannot properly weigh the evidence-- I suspect the same holds true with religious beliefs in election It's not that religious beliefs are not relevant (they clearly are relevant in assessing a politician), but we are better off if we agree not to do so

That' s pretty good, Brad--you disagreed with
my comments even before I made them!

Apologies... My Psychic powers are shining through again. (grin)

Who should an atheist vote for in this election since there is not an option for them?

Obama of course! I prefer to have a president whose policies will not be dictated by religious belief

There are plenty of options for an atheist, it's just that all of them believe in God.

I'm sure I've voted for believers many times, if not most of the time. My point about Mormons in particular was more the fact that the origins of the faith are so recent that the extreme implausibility of it is right there in plain view for all to comprehend. I would find it very difficult to vote for a Mormon as a result, because I'd have to have very serious doubts about their judgement. I wouldn't vote for a Scientologist either, for the same reason.

Sassenach wrote:There are plenty of options for an atheist, it's just that all of them believe in God.

I'm sure I've voted for believers many times, if not most of the time. My point about Mormons in particular was more the fact that the origins of the faith are so recent that the extreme implausibility of it is right there in plain view for all to comprehend. I would find it very difficult to vote for a Mormon as a result, because I'd have to have very serious doubts about their judgement. I wouldn't vote for a Scientologist either, for the same reason.

As a former Mormon, I don't think that's fair. I'll tell you why: the LDS Church is more comprehensive than any Christian church I've ever attended. There is almost something to do (or somewhere to go, or a program for your family on Monday night) every day. The result is that it is a cultural identification more deeply held than most religions.

It was not until my late teens when I first began questioning things--for theological reasons. In my early 20's, I read a book, a true crime type, that really caused me grief. It was called "The Mormon Murders," about document forgeries and subsequent murders in Utah in the 70's. It was shocking--mostly because of the response of the Church leaders to the fraudulent documents.

I have an uncle who has a genius-plus IQ. He's a math/physics whiz, doctorate, etc. He's been a Mormon his entire life--despite a very secular education.

I don't disagree with you that Mormonism is a fraud founded by a liar. However, you cannot approach it as merely an intellectual exercise.

freeman2 wrote:Obama of course! I prefer to have a president whose policies will not be dictated by religious belief

Right, the atheist pretending to be a Christian.

the LDS Church is more comprehensive than any Christian church I've ever attended. There is almost something to do (or somewhere to go, or a program for your family on Monday night) every day. The result is that it is a cultural identification more deeply held than most religions.

This is why I said I'd have been more concerned about Romney if he was a convert to the faith. I get that Mormons have a strong cultural attachment to the church and may not necessarily buy into all the wacky beliefs.

Of course, Scientologists are pretty close-knit as well....

Shades of 1960? Some people don't see Quakers and/or Catholics as 'christians'. What should matter is not what religion they are, but what they are likely to do in office.

The two are not always unrelated.

But anyway, so far it's been the two atheists in the thread who've been saying it might affect their vote.