http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/08/us/po ... ref=slogin
Excerpts from the article (with my comments):
Mr. Romney said he was giving strong consideration to a public address about his faith and political views, modeled after the one John F. Kennedy gave in 1960 in the face of a wave of concern about his being a Roman Catholic.
It's a lot easier to get the nomination as a Catholic than a Mormon. There's a lot more Catholics than Mormons in the US. Does a "public address" mean a speech or a Q and A? A Q and A would be interesting I think.
Questioner: Gov. Romney, do you believe the Book of Mormon to be a historically accurate representation of early American history?
Romney: Yes, I do.
Questioner: Even though there's not a speck of evidence and most academics say it's most probably not true?
Romney: Yes, I do.
Questioner: Have you been exposed to any dangerous chemicals or fumes recently....
Mormons consider themselves to be Christians, but some beliefs central to Mormons are regarded by other churches as heretical. For example, Mormons have three books of Scripture other than the Bible, including the Book of Mormon, which Mormons believe was translated from golden plates discovered in 1827 by Joseph Smith Jr., the church’s founder and first prophet.
"Did they just say 'translated from golden plates'? Better wikipedia that" says the average person. "They actually believe this stuff?" says the average person after 10 minutes on the internet. I'd say it's all downhill from there.
Mormons believe that Smith rescued Christianity from apostasy and restored the church to what was envisioned in the New Testament — but these doctrines are beyond the pale for most Christian churches.
Way to upset The Base by calling them apostates. Does this guy even have a prayer if McCain can show he's ever set foot in a mainstream Christian church?
Beyond that, there are perceptions among some people regarding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the church is formally known, that account for at least some of the public unease: that Mormons still practice polygamy (the church renounced polygamy in 1890), that it is more of a cult than a religion and that its members take political direction from the church’s leaders.
Did they just use the word "cult"?