Wrangling Over Mitt's Religion

Call us naive, but we misjudged the intensity of emotions stirred by Mitt Romney's religion. Romney, a top contender for the Republican presidential nomination, is a Mormon. We knew that some Christian conservatives were uncomfortable with him when he last sought the nomination in 2008, but we thought their anxieties had eased.

We were wrong.

On June 11, this newspaper published a letter titled "Mitt's a Christian." The writer argued: "Mormons are Christians! Anyone who says differently is an uneducated person."

Online responses were swift. Some sounded angry. "If you feel that Mormonism is of Christian faith," one commenter wrote, "then you in fact are the one who is uneducated."

Others derided Mormon beliefs. "A Christian is a believer in the Jesus Christ of the Bible, not the Book of Mormon," wrote one.

"The Bible contradicts the Book of Mormon many times," wrote another.

"Which one will you believe?"

The back-and-forth continued. (You can find the letter and the responses at nwfdailynews.com.) Some commenters said the observations above were made by "Mormon-haters." Some pointed out that America's founding documents require no religious test for the presidency.

They are correct. But Christian conservatives are a powerful bloc in the Republican Party, and they have every right to put their party's nominee to a religious test — if only on an informal, unofficial level. Whether they are comfortable having a Mormon carry their party's banner may make a difference in whom they support. It may make a difference in how they vote.

All of which is bad news for Mr. Romney.

The former governor of Massachusetts is a smart fellow, poised and well spoken, who seems to have solid, free-market-oriented ideas for revving up America's stalled economy. We at the Daily News don't give a flip about his personal religious beliefs. But on the GOP right, he clearly has a problem.

REPRINTED FROM THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA DAILY NEWS.

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