Rick Santorum Called Mormonism 'Dangerous Cult' In Minds Of 'Some Christians' In 2007

[DailyCore]

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A look at the man who almost beat Mitt Romney.

Rick Santorum Called Mormonism 'Dangerous Cult' In Minds Of 'Some Christians' In 2007

WASHINGTON -- Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator who has suddenly become Mitt Romney's top challenger for the Republican presidential nomination, raised a provocative question about Romney's Mormon faith in a 2007 newspaper column:

Would the potential attraction to Mormonism by simply having a Mormon in the White House threaten traditional Christianity by leading more Americans to a church that some Christians believe misleadingly calls itself Christian, is an active missionary church, and a dangerous cult?

His next paragraph began: "Assume for the sake of argument that there are valid considerations."

The column was Santorum's response to Romney's famous "Faith in America" address, in which the former Massachusetts governor tried to reassure evangelical Christians and other religious voters that he shared their values. Santorum's ultimate verdict on Romney was more or less positive: "He should be a viable choice for voters whose faith matters to them," Santorum wrote.

But throughout the piece, Santorum drew distinctions between Mormonism and Christianity that others have avoided lest they seem overly inflammatory in a political context.

For instance, Santorum wrote of Romney's speech, "He tried to address the questions by discussing Jesus, suggesting that the specific theological tenets of Mormonism are not in any important respect different from those of traditional Christianity. I disagree."

Romney was the highest-ranking lay leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Boston. And skepticism if not fear of his deep Mormon faith is widely considered to be a significant and ongoing problem for him among evangelical voters in particular.

A top Romney adviser recently told The Huffington Post's Howard Fineman that "the Mormon factor" is "just a fact of life that we know we have to deal with."

Santorum's come-from-way-behind showing in the Iowa caucuses on Tuesday could be attributed in no small part to the fact that several prominent state preachers suddenly endorsed him when all the other "anybody but Romney" candidates had crashed and burned, one after the other.

About 60 percent of Iowa's GOP caucus-goers self-identify as evangelical, and according to CNN entrance polling suggets that Santorum got 34 percent of their votes, compared to 14 percent for Romney.

The undercurrent of anti-Mormon concern has only occasionally risen to the surface of the political discourse. One notable exception came in October, when a prominent Texas pastor who introduced Texas Gov. Rick Perry at the Values Voters Summit called Mormonism a "cult."

In an October interview on Fox News, Santorum was asked if he thinks Mormonism is a cult, and he replied, "No, I don't." He added, "I'm not an expert on Mormonism. All I know is that every Mormon I know is a good and decent person, has great moral values and, by and large, with the exception of Harry Reid, by and large, pretty consistent in the values that I share and that things I want to see happen to this country. And that's what he should be judged on."

Santorum has made his fierce adherence to conservative Roman Catholic "family values" a keystone of his campaign, most recently saying he believes states should have the right to outlaw birth control and sodomy without the interference of the Supreme Court and that gay marriage could doom the United States.

In his 2007 column, Santorum made it clear he thinks matters of faith are fair game. He quoted Romney as saying that "a person should not be rejected ... because of his faith." Then he wrote, "His supporters say it is akin to rejecting a Barack Obama because he is black. But Obama was born black; Romney is a Mormon because he accepts the beliefs of the Mormon faith. This permits us, therefore, to make inferences about his judgment and character, good or bad."

Rick Santorum Called Mormonism 'Dangerous Cult' In Minds Of 'Some Christians' In 2007

[brian joshua]

calling all anti-discrimination folks and various religion enthusiasts out there

[superpaolo]

I'm a Mormon. And the allegations are false.

[Sparrow Unit]

I'm a Mormon. And the allegations are false.

Dong naa ko question nimo.pwede maminyo ug 3 ka babaye ang mormons?pareha sa muslim?

[machinecult]

Santorum is more into Bible-based Christianity whilst Latter-Day Saints/Mormons is not (I don't know if they changed their doctrines; they've removed polygamy in some sects). Many Christians especially Protestant-leaning have been calling Mormonism a cult for 200 years. Nothing personal though. We have LDS neighbors and they're the nicest people I know.

[scorpionqueen]

Dong naa ko question nimo.pwede maminyo ug 3 ka babaye ang mormons?pareha sa muslim?

Mormon akong bana. Suwayan lang niya minyog lain oh panitan jud nako siya.

[expat08]

Santorum is more into Bible-based Christianity whilst Latter-Day Saints/Mormons is not (I don't know if they changed their doctrines; they've removed polygamy in some sects). Many Christians especially Protestant-leaning have been calling Mormonism a cult for 200 years. Nothing personal though. We have LDS neighbors and they're the nicest people I know.

Santorum is Catholic not Christian.

[æRLO]

Santorum is Catholic not Christian.

ummm...Catholicism is part of the Christian umbrella.

The reason there is a latent stigma against the Mormons is because (a) people outside the sect believes that they adhere to polygamous marriages, even though really, it is only practiced by a minority in the church and is largely an old practice, (b) people outside the church think that they practice the marriage of minors with adults, even though again, it is practiced, albeit illegally, by the most extreme "fundamentalists" considered a really small minority in the church and (c) people believe there are racial undertones (particularly blacks) to Joseph Smith's teachings, though I've never personally met a Mormon who was racist.

I think these are the major preconceived notions. And that's a big obstacle for Romney in November. Obama wins 2012.

[expat08]

ummm...Catholicism is part of the Christian umbrella.

The reason there is a latent stigma against the Mormons is because (a) people outside the sect believes that they adhere to polygamous marriages, even though really, it is only practiced by a minority in the church and is largely an old practice, (b) people outside the church think that they practice the marriage of minors with adults, even though again, it is practiced, albeit illegally, by the most extreme "fundamentalists" considered a really small minority in the church and (c) people believe there are racial undertones (particularly blacks) to Joseph Smith's teachings, though I've never personally met a Mormon who was racist.

I think these are the major preconceived notions. And that's a big obstacle for Romney in November. Obama wins 2012.

In the Philippines yes.

In the USA no. Catholicism is viewed different very much from Christians. Romney's big Obstable is Ron Paul right now. Not Obama. Romney has no chance of winning in November. He lost the GOP Nomination in 2008 and has had issues winning conservatives in 2012.

[expat08]

There was a big separation that started with Martin Luther dividing so called Lutherans and other divisions vs. Catholicism.

Santorum is Catholic not Christian. Completely different philosophy and views. There has been alot of news in the US about this as well. I should know cause I come from a divided family of Catholicism and Christianity.