One of the fabulous things about the United States is that we Americans can openly debate all kinds of matters, from religion to sports to politics to sex to religion. And did I mention religion?
And so even though for decades and decades, Americans have worried over and debated the role religion plays or should play in presidential politics, it's still a hot and legitimate topic.
This time around, because of Mitt Romney's success in Iowa and New Hampshire and the growing notion that he'll be the Republican presidential nominee, Mormonism is getting lots of attention.
For instance, Religion New Service has offered this analysis of whether Mormon leaders would try to influence Romney's policies if he's elected to the Oval Office.
It's an interesting question, but essentially one that Romney already has done his best -- both in this campaign and especially in the 2008 race -- to address honestly and openly. It not an issue that worries me.
Mormonism -- that unique American-born religion -- also is the focus of a new study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, released just a couple of days ago, "Mormons in America: Certain in their Belief, Uncertain of Their Place in Society."
As the study's executive summary notes, "Many Mormons feel they are misunderstood, discriminated against and not accepted by other Americans as part of mainstream society. Yet, at the same time, a majority of Mormons think that acceptance of Mormonism is rising. Overwhelmingly, they are satisfied with their lives and content with their communities. And most say they think the country is ready to elect a Mormon president."
One of the problems Mormons face -- especially Mormon politicians like Romney and Jon Huntsman running nationally -- is that a significant segment of people who would identify themselves as evangelical or conservative Christians have a deep fear of and prejudice about Mormonism and, thus, Mormons. Some go so far as to call the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a cult.
As the new Pew study notes, by contrast, "Mormons are nearly unanimous in describing Mormonism as a Christian religion." Whereas, the study notes, nearly one-third of American adults don't consider Mormonism Christian.
I suspect there will always be this kind of divide about Mormonism in America. What there should not be is fear of and prejudice against Mormons because of their religious beliefs -- even if a majority of Americans would describe some of those beliefs as unbelievable.
By the way, in a conference call for the media in which I participated on Thursday, I asked whether the Pew survey included any members of the much-smaller church, the Community of Christ, formerly known as the Reorganized Latter-day Saints, based in the Kansas City area. The answer was that such people were eligible to be included but that hardly any were. One reason, one of the researchers told me, is that the term "Mormon" among Community of Christ members is a "contested term," and their refusal to embrace the term may have screened some of them out of the survey.
In any case, I invite you to dig through the report to learn more about Mormonism and how Mormons view themselves.
(The photo here today shows the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City.)
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AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. . .
The other day here on the blog I mentioned this week's 9-0 U.S. Supreme Court ruling about a "ministerial exception" in faith communities hiring and firing workers and I spoke of it approvingly. I still think it was the right decision, but here's a dissenting view, with some good points, from the editorial board of The New York Times.
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P.S.: Last year here on the blog, I reviewed a marvelous new book, The End of the Holocaust, by Alvin Rosenfeld of Indiana University. The other day Alvin alerted me to an excellent radio interview he did recently about the book and its topic, and I thought it might interest some of you. So to hear it, click here. Then you can either play it or download it.
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