Christians quick to claim religious bigotry are ironically on the front lines of blatant anti-Mormon prejudice.
The long-running undercurrent of disdain and distrust for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has moved out of the shadows as Mormon Gov. Mitt Romney seeks the GOP presidential nomination.
Republican voters openly opposing Romney's candidacy based on his Mormon faith, remain largely unchallenged in a country founded on religious tolerance and freedom. If the same voters discounted a candidate based on their Jewish or Catholic faith, it would be widely denounced by leaders in both political parties. However, when it comes to extending respect and tolerance to members of the LDS Church, there is deafening silence.
GOP candidates courting the Evangelical Christian vote likewise have failed to defend Romney's faith either because they agree with the anti-Mormon rhetoric or because they benefit from the prejudice.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry ran an advertisement in Iowa vowing that as president he would end President Obama's war on religion and would "fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage."
Perry's commitment to defend religion apparently doesn't extend to Mormons since he refused to repudiate anti-Mormon comments made by his prominent Evangelical supporter who publicly accused the LDS Church of being a non-Christian cult.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has also been vocal about prejudice towards Christians, saying last week in South Carolina that "there's a lot more anti-Christian bigotry today than there is concerning the other side (referring to gays) and none of it gets covered by the news media". The former Lutheran, turned Baptist, turned Catholic Gingrich has said nothing to challenge anti-Mormon bigotry during the campaign.
Mormons are accustomed to intolerance toward their faith. Not long after the LDS Church was founded in 1830, members were repeatedly driven from their communities to escape persecution. After the murder of their founder and prophet, Joseph Smith, Mormons fled to a barren desert (now known as Utah) where they could practice their faith unmolested. Despite Mormon conservative family values and high moral standards, many Evangelical Christians harbor skepticism of Mormon doctrine that differs from their own.
The theological differences between Mormons and other Christian religions have been explored recently in various articles, yet Romney detractors have failed to elucidate exactly why or how these disagreements over doctrine would compromise the judgment of a Mormon president.
The rallying cry to Christians to fight the war on religion rings hollow and hypocritical when those on the religious right actively promote anti-Mormonism or condone it through passive silence. If the GOP wants to be the legitimate party of championing religion in a growing secular society, then Republicans need to speak out about discrimination towards people of all faiths and not just their own.
The long-running undercurrent of disdain and distrust for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has moved out of the shadows as Mormon Gov. Mitt Romney seeks the GOP presidential nomination.
Republican voters openly opposing Romney's candidacy based on his Mormon faith, remain largely unchallenged in a country founded on religious tolerance and freedom. If the same voters discounted a candidate based on their Jewish or Catholic faith, it would be widely denounced by leaders in both political parties. However, when it comes to extending respect and tolerance to members of the LDS Church, there is deafening silence.
GOP candidates courting the Evangelical Christian vote likewise have failed to defend Romney's faith either because they agree with the anti-Mormon rhetoric or because they benefit from the prejudice.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry ran an advertisement in Iowa vowing that as president he would end President Obama's war on religion and would "fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage."
Perry's commitment to defend religion apparently doesn't extend to Mormons since he refused to repudiate anti-Mormon comments made by his prominent Evangelical supporter who publicly accused the LDS Church of being a non-Christian cult.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has also been vocal about prejudice towards Christians, saying last week in South Carolina that "there's a lot more anti-Christian bigotry today than there is concerning the other side (referring to gays) and none of it gets covered by the news media". The former Lutheran, turned Baptist, turned Catholic Gingrich has said nothing to challenge anti-Mormon bigotry during the campaign.
Mormons are accustomed to intolerance toward their faith. Not long after the LDS Church was founded in 1830, members were repeatedly driven from their communities to escape persecution. After the murder of their founder and prophet, Joseph Smith, Mormons fled to a barren desert (now known as Utah) where they could practice their faith unmolested. Despite Mormon conservative family values and high moral standards, many Evangelical Christians harbor skepticism of Mormon doctrine that differs from their own.
The theological differences between Mormons and other Christian religions have been explored recently in various articles, yet Romney detractors have failed to elucidate exactly why or how these disagreements over doctrine would compromise the judgment of a Mormon president.
The rallying cry to Christians to fight the war on religion rings hollow and hypocritical when those on the religious right actively promote anti-Mormonism or condone it through passive silence. If the GOP wants to be the legitimate party of championing religion in a growing secular society, then Republicans need to speak out about discrimination towards people of all faiths and not just their own.
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