A correspondent of the Dutch newspaper Elsevier, via Watching America, tells the story of his visit by to Mormon-land, and ponders the possibility of a Mormon in the White House. It’s worth a read.
How do we assess the bearing that a candidate’s religious views has on his or her judgment? Certainly the thought that someone who stakes his (eternal) life on certain claims about a guy’s reading some gold plates in a hat, and all the rest of it, will be running the free world, makes a thinking person nervous. Beliefs are cognitive judgments and therefore do speak to a candidate’s ability to lead.
As Galileo said,
“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.”
Yet the psychology of Romney’s faith is almost certainly no different from that of any other protestant or catholic – largely a consequence of upbringing and exposure. Moreover, prima facie, is the Mormon myth any more absurd than the pope’s speaking ex cathedra, or the fundamentalists’ history of the world in six thousand years? Probably not. It would be interesting to know whether those who don’t identify with any such religious group are as consistent in voting for their own as are members of the aforementioned religious groups. If not, why not? And would it serve them?
For what it’s worth, the Elsevier article gives us these numbers:
In an opinion poll in 2006, 37% of those questioned answered that they would never vote for a Mormon for president. For a Muslim, the percentage was 51, and for an Evangelical Christian, 21. 15% would never vote for a Jew, while 10% would have insurmountable objections against a second Catholic president
For more, read “Can Mormon Romney Become President?” on Watching America.com
Robin Koerner is a British-born citizen of the USA, who currently serves as Academic Dean of the John Locke Institute. He holds graduate degrees in both Physics and the Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge (U.K.). He is also the founder of WatchingAmerica.com, an organization of over 100 volunteers that translates and posts in English views about the USA from all over the world.
Robin may be best known for having coined the term “Blue Republican” to refer to liberals and independents who joined the GOP to support Ron Paul’s bid for the presidency in 2012 (and, in so doing, launching the largest coalition that existed for that candidate).
Robin’s current work as a trainer and a consultant, and his book If You Can Keep It , focus on overcoming distrust and bridging ideological division to improve politics and lives. His current project, Humilitarian, promotes humility and civility as a basis for improved political discourse and outcomes.