Doctrine vs. Politics: Why Evangelicals Should Consider Romney

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34869425.post-6353114191257343122007-08-24T08:36:00.000-04:002007-12-16T02:04:11.426-05:00Doctrine vs. Politics: Why Evangelicals Should Consider RomneyThe editors of this blog do not think that all religions are somehow equally true. Furthermore, we all recognize that their are concrete differences between Mormonism and "mainstream" Christianity, when it comes to theology. However, we do not think those theological differences necessarily create political differences, and they should therefore not directly affect who we support for political office. There are political issues on which many people will base their views largely on religious reasons. Many voters look for guidance from their religious beliefs to understand the issues of abortion, euthanasia, justification for war, capital punishment, welfare policy and many others. Oftentimes, members of the same religious community actually come to different political views on such issues, despite their common system of beliefs. The proper question for a candidate for office is not where does he worship, but how does his religion influence his policymaking. It is true that some religions may be incompatible with political leadership in the United States. An adherent to a religion that demands a theocratic government should not be President. Someone influenced by his faith not to respect human individualism and freedom should not be chosen to lead this country. However, it is not the place that a person worships or the faith of a person’s father that should determine whether that person is worthy of support. Instead, voters should analyse the political views that the candidate holds, whether motivated by religion, self-interest, political philosophy, or any other reasoning. Many people of other faiths have doubts about Mitt Romney because he is a Mormon. But does his Mormonism really make him incapable of properly leading this country? Perhaps people are concerned that someone of a different religion will not properly respect the dignity of human life. However, Mitt Romney has <a href="http://bearingdrift.com/blog/2007/08/23/we-have-so-cheapened-the-value-of-human-life-in-this-society-that-i-want-to-make-it-clear-im-pro-life/">clearly stated</a> in this campaign that he is staunchly Pro-Life. Perhaps some voters fear that, based on early Mormonism’s practice of polygamy, that a person of that religion might not have a proper respect for the institution of Marriage. However, Mr. Romney has been married to his wife for nearly forty years, and their five sons have cheerfully volunteered to help with their father‘s campaign. It seems evident that among the leading Republican candidates, Romney is the only one who properly respects Marriage and family. It would be quite understandable for voters to be concerned if a candidate’s religion caused the candidate to lack respect for this country. However, when this country was in the international spotlight for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, Mitt Romney led the turnaround necessary to make the games a success. Some of our contributors are strongly supportive of Governor Romney, but it is not support of him or any other candidate that has motivated the whole editorial board to write on this topic. Rather, we at The Virginian Federalist believe that it is of the utmost importance that the debate in the Republican primary focus on issues that truly matter, so that the GOP can select the best possible candidate to address the many challenges currently facing this country. If that person is Mitt Romney, then it would be shameful to exclude him because of his religion only. Although we recognize the significant theological differences between Christianity and Mormonism, The Virginian Federalist believes that, insofar as Governor Romney’s politics are influenced by the tenets of his religion, his beliefs will lead him to make political decisions in line with evangelical voters. With that in mind, we believe that all voters should take the opportunity to judge Governor Romney on his stated political views and record of accomplishment, rather than disregard his Presidential candidacy based solely on religious disagreement.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://virginianfederalist.com/"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077947142330547682" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="The Virginian Federalist" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_BxN87LnR4lM/Rnh-BZbSfeI/AAAAAAAAAEs/zHyMHHiEeD0/s200/TVF.bmp" border="0" /></a>© 2005-2008<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/34869425-635311419125734312?l=the.virginianfederalist.com'/></div>TVF Editorial Boardnoreply@blogger.com19