A Vote For Romney Is A Vote For The LDS Church

Editor's Note : The article below is published as a part of a symposium hosted by Patheos' Catholic Portal and Evangelical Portal , entitled, " For Life and Family: Faith and the Future of Social Conservatism. "

Update - June 9, 2011: To read an interview with Warren Cole Smith in which he responds to criticism of this article, please click here .

Update - June 20, 2011: See the end of this essay for a selection of responses to Smith's arguments.

In the prevailing wisdom of polls and pundits, Mitt Romney is a "top tier" contender for the Republican nomination for President. The prevailing wisdom also says that Romney's Mormonism will not be, or should not be, a factor in the election. Romney's Mormonism is purportedly like Kennedy's Catholicism: interesting, perhaps troubling from a theological point of view, but irrelevant to his governing philosophy.

I believe this prevailing wisdom is all wrong. His religious worldview will be vital to his governing philosophy, and will ultimately be the issue that undermines his candidacy.

Let's begin by noting that several prominent social conservatives supported Romney during the last election cycle. Conservative icon Paul Weyrich said about Romney during the last election cycle: "If we were endorsing Mr. Romney for head of the Southern Baptist Convention . . . the objections of these Evangelical Christians [to Romney's Mormon faith] would be wholly appropriate. But we are not." Fundamentalist Bob Jones III and Reformed theologian Dr. Wayne Grudem also supported Romney in 2008, using much the same argument.

Romney's Christian defenders often say that while the theology of Mormonism is very different from orthodox Christian theology, its social teachings on abortion, same-sex marriage, and a range of other issues are very similar. They sometimes cite Francis Schaeffer's concept of "co-belligerents." In pro-life battles and other battles, Schaeffer said, evangelicals should fight alongside Catholics, Mormons, and others who do not agree with us on theological particulars but do agree with us on social policy positions.

Weyrich ultimately repented of this view. Before Weyrich died in 2008, one of his last public appearances was to a small group of conservative leaders who were discussing whether to endorse John McCain for president after it became obvious that he would be the GOP nominee. Weyrich, though frail and bound to a wheelchair, said clearly and emphatically that he had made a grave mistake endorsing Romney, and essentially asked the social conservatives in the room to forgive him. For many of us, it was the last time we saw Weyrich alive.

What Weyrich understood was that you can't have it "both ways" when it comes to Romney's faith. You can't say that his religious beliefs don't matter, but his "values" do. The Christian worldview teaches that there is a short tether binding beliefs to the values and behaviors that flow from them. If the beliefs are false, then the behavior will eventually—but inevitably—be warped. Mormonism is particularly troubling on this point because Mormons believe in the idea of "continuing revelation." They may believe one thing today, and something else tomorrow. This is why Mormons have changed their views, for example, on marriage and race. Polygamy was once a key distinctive of the religion. Now, of course, it is not. Mormons once forbade blacks from leadership roles. Now they do not. What else will change?

Even if a Mormon social teaching happens to concur with orthodox Christianity at this point in time, it is unreliable and subject to alteration. It's tempting to say that "continuing revelation" has defined Romney's career, who has changed his positions on same-sex marriage and abortion and just about every major "culture war" issue.

For evangelical Christians, Romney has some additional explaining to do. On such essential doctrines as the Trinity and the role of Jesus in salvation, there are major differences between orthodox (biblical) Christianity and Mormonism. But the real problem is that Mormons believe and teach an American history that is in many particulars completely unsubstantiated and in others demonstrably false. Mormons believe that the "lost tribes" of Israel actually ended up in America, and that Jesus visited America and these tribes during his incarnation. These are just a few of Mormonism's highly idiosyncratic views of history.

Does Mitt Romney believe these views? Why or why not? Does he believe historical facts are matters of personal opinion? More to the point, does he really believe that, if he were to become the GOP nominee, he would not have to answer these questions before the world? Romney will face a Hobson's choice. He will either affirm certain beliefs about reality and American history that most Americans will find false or flimsy, or else he will reject them be thereby "outed" as a hypocrite or traitor to his own belief system.

The vast majority of Americans won't care about these theological implications. Indeed, Americans are generally tone-deaf to theological nuances. But to all American voters—religious or not—I would ask this question: Do we want a person who believes that history is something you can "make up as you go along" negotiating the outcomes of conflicts with real histories that go back thousands of years? Conflicts in the Middle East, in Asia, and elsewhere require an understanding of history and human nature that are not fabricated out of whole cloth.

Again, I do not want to diagnose Mormonism book, chapter, and verse. But let me be plain on this point. At its core, Mormonism is—by Christian standards or by reasonable secular standards—an a-historical (and at times anti-historical) worldview. Evangelicals and others who argue that you cannot dismiss Romney based on his religion either miss or ignore this critical point. The boat of Mormonism is not tied to the anchor of either historical Christianity or even commonly accepted historical facts. Because the boat of Mormonism has been cut loose from that anchor, and is adrift in a sea of philosophies and ideas, any similarity between Christian and Mormon is historically temporary and not a reliable gauge of how Romney will govern.

Let Me Tell You about Our President

My final point may seem minor to most Americans, but I think it should make a significant difference to evangelicals: As Theodore Roosevelt said, the presidency is a "bully pulpit." Indeed, it has become the bulliest pulpit in the world. The entire planet hangs on what the occupant of that pulpit says and does.

Placing a Mormon in that pulpit would be a source of pride and a shot of adrenaline for the LDS church. It would serve to normalize the false teachings of Mormonism the world over. It would also provide an opening to Mormon missionaries around the world, who could start every conversation: "Let me tell you about the American president." To elect a Mormon President is to advance the cause of the Mormon Church.

Non-Christians likely don't care much about this point one way or the other. But for the Christian, this is a vital issue. One of the strongest warnings Jesus issues is to those who "lead little ones astray." He said it would be better for that person if a millstone were put around his neck and he were cast into the sea. The validation of the false religion of Mormonism would almost certainly have the effect of leading many astray. Evangelical Christians should have no part of that effort.

Unfit to Serve?

No person is perfect. That's a theological reality. No candidate perfectly represents the people, or even his core constituency. That's a political reality. There's a lot about Romney I like. He seems to be a competent manager, he's a fiscal conservative, and his positions on some social issues—while problematic in the past—seem to have genuinely changed.

But certain qualifications make a candidate unfit to serve. I believe a candidate who either by intent or effect promotes a false and dangerous religion is unfit to serve. Mitt Romney has said it is not his intent to promote Mormonism. Yet there can be little doubt that the effect of his candidacy—whether or not this is his intent—will be to promote Mormonism. A Romney presidency would have the effect of actively promoting a false religion in the world. If you have any regard for the Gospel of Christ, you should care. A false religion should not prosper with the support of Christians. The salvation of souls is at stake.

For me, that alone disqualifies him from my vote. Because Mormons believe in continuing revelation, it is possible that in the future the LDS church will renounce its heretical beliefs and come fully into the fold of orthodox Christianity. Many theologians and church historians believe the church is on such a trajectory. But if that happens, it is an event still well in the future. The Mormon Church of today is, by the lights of biblical evangelical Christianity, a false religion. If Mitt Romney believes what the Mormon Church teaches about the world and how it operates, then he is unfit to serve. We make him our President at great peril to the intellectual and spiritual health of our nation.

Update - June 9, 2011: To read an interview with Warren Cole Smith in which he responds to criticism of this article, please click here .

For other perspectives on Romney from the symposium, see J. E. Dyer's " Yes, Christians Can Vote for Mormons ," and Jeremy Lott's " In Defense of Mormons ."

Other responses to Warren Smith's Essay

Dave Banack, “Evangelical Incivility” (Times and Seasons) Joanna Brooks, “A Conversation with Warren Smith” (Religion Dispatches) Tim Dalrymple, “Is It Bigotry to Oppose a Candidate on Religious Grounds?” Romney and Evangelicals (Part I); “Would a Romney Presidency Fuel the Growth of Mormonism?” (Part II) (Patheos) John Fowles, “Where Does It End? The Real Danger in Warren Smith’s Perspective” (By Common Consent) David French, “A Mormon President: Are Souls at Stake?” (Patheos) Mark Joseph, “Finally: An Honest Evangelical Weighs In on Romney and the Mormon Question” (Huffington Post) Michael Otterson, “Evangelicals, Mormons and the Beliefs of the President” (Washington Post) Jana Riess, “When Theological Disagreement Spills Over Into Anti-Mormonism” (Beliefnet) Tim Rutten, "A Religious 'Test' for Mitt Romney" (L.A. Times) Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye, "I Believe": Mitt Romney and Why Mormon Beliefs Don't Matter

A Vote for Romney Is a Vote for the LDS Church