Faith doesn't bind Mormons to Romney

Local church members say policies matter

Sunday, July 15, 2007

By RON JENSEN

The Register-Mail

GALESBURG - Should former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney slough off his middling poll numbers and emerge as the Republican candidate for the presidency next year, he will not take for granted votes from the nearly 6 million Americans who share his Mormon faith.

Within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, politics is personal. The church is neutral. Romney will be judged by his fellow Mormons for his stance on issues rather than his adherence to his religious beliefs.

"He's not running to be leader of my religion," said Jeff Johnson, a Knox College student and member of the local Mormon congregation.

Johnson, who describes himself as a conservative, said he will consider Romney's politics just like he will for other candidates before he decides who gets his vote.

"To me, it's issue driven," Johnson said. "It's great that he's a Mormon. But when I look at what he's done policy-wise, hey, the guy's a conservative."

Cheryl Hund, another member of the local congregation, said, "I won't vote for him no matter what (his religion) because he's a Republican."

Despite her aversion to all things GOP, Hund said she knows what she'll be getting if Romney does pull a surprise and win the White House in the 2008 contest.

"He will be very honest and morally decent," she said.

The new president would be pro-family, she said, which is a tenet of the faith.

Romney is the first Mormon to be a serious candidate for president since his father, George Romney, three-time governor of Michigan, lost the Republican nod to Richard Nixon in 1968. But while others may consider his religion an important issue, fellow Mormons do not.

Michael Wynkoop, bishop of the Galesburg congregation, said politics is not preached from the pulpit of an LDS church. The policy is not to endorse or oppose candidates or political parties. Nor does the church direct its members on how to vote.

Asked if any of his congregation's 140 or so members would vote for Romney simply because of his faith, Wynkoop said, "There may be a small percentage. It's hard to know because I don't usually talk politics with members of the church. A lot of people, I couldn't tell you whether they are Republican or Democrat."

The church's Web site says the mission of the church "is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, not to elect politicians."

Overall, the church does have a conservative slant and most guesses are that a wide majority of Mormons vote Republican.

"I only know two other Democrats," said Hund, referring to members of the congregation.

But the national attention given to Romney's campaign, which has been up and down in the polls and this week trailed former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and undeclared candidate Fred Thompson, can be a boon to the misunderstood church, said Wynkoop.

"It will help, I think, dispel some of the myths of the church," he said. "The more it's talked about in a positive light is good for the church."

The most obvious myth, he said, is the issue of polygamy or multiple marriages. The church outlawed it in 1892 and any member involved in the practice is quickly excommunicated. Yet many non-Mormons continue to believe the church endorses it.

Also, some members of other denominations do not think Mormons believe in Jesus Christ and are, therefore, not Christians. Again, Wynkoop said, that's wrong.

"We believe Jesus Christ stands at the head of the church," he said. "We use the King James version of the Bible. It's Scripture to us every bit as much as the Book of Mormon is."

In a nutshell, adherents to the Mormon faith believe the Christian church died out in the second century when religious leaders abandoned Christ's original teachings. Joseph Smith founded the Mormon faith in 1830 after claiming an angel led him to golden plates buried near his home in western New York.

The plates, which became the Book of Mormon, essentially tie the Bible with the history of the western hemisphere. Mormons consider the words to be inspired by God and Smith is thought of as a prophet. He became a martyr in 1844 when he was killed by a mob in the Carthage jail just 75 miles from Galesburg.

Wynkoop, Hund and Johnson are not happy with polls that suggest as much as 30 percent of the voting population would not vote for Romney simply because of his faith. That's more than would dismiss Sen. Hillary Clinton because of her gender and Sen. Barack Obama because of his race.

"It's disheartening," said Johnson. "It's sad."

The country's founders, he pointed out, wanted no religious test for leaders.

Wynkoop said, "I would hope that we can elect who people would consider good people without regard to what religion they belong to."

That is his plan. Wynkoop has some troubles with Romney's policies as governor of Massachusetts. And he thinks his fellow Mormon is "soft on abortion."

Wynkoop intends to follow the news and consider the candidates based on their ideas and their plans should they reach the White House.

"My mind's not made up," he said. "I don't know who I'm going to vote for."