A poll conducted immediately following presidential contender Mitt Romney’s faith speech last week found that about one out of six Americans still say they would not support their party’s nominee if that person was a Mormon.
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(Photo: AP Images / Luis M. Alvarez)Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney responds to a question during the Univision Republican Presidential Candidate Forum at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla. Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007.
Seventeen percent of Americans, including similar proportions of Republicans and Democrats, responded they were unwilling to vote for a Mormon presidential candidate even if the person was “generally well-qualified” for the position, according to The Gallup Poll released Tuesday.
The Dec. 6-9 survey showed that Americans’ opinion on voting for a Mormon candidate for president has changed little since this question was asked by Gallup in 1967.
Four decades ago when Romney’s father - former Michigan Gov. George Romney – was seeking the presidency, 17 percent of Americans had also said they would not support a Mormon as their party’s nominee for president.
Likewise in 1999, 17 percent of respondents also expressed unwillingness to vote for a Mormon for president.
But opposition to a Mormon presidential candidate has decreased since the beginning of this year.
In early February before Romney first officially declared his candidacy, the percentage opposed to the party’s nomination of a Mormon was 24 percent. The statistic dropped to 19 percent in March, after he entered the race. An August Gallup poll, meanwhile, showed 22 percent of Americans think being Mormon is an “undesirable” characteristic for the next president.
Last Thursday, Romney delivered a much-anticipated speech on “Faith in America,” partly aiming to reassure evangelical voters who are suspicious of Mormonism. The speech, which he had resisted to give for months, was also likely delivered in response to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s sudden lead in Iowa caucus polls. Romney had been leading in Iowa for months.
Although Romney may have cared more about his speech’s impact on conservative Republicans, the latest Gallup poll shows that it had the same effect whether the listener was Republican or Democrat.
Even after the speech, the poll suggests attitudes have changed little despite the candidate’s effort to address concerns on how Mormonism would affect his decisions as president.
Eighteen percent of both groups say they would not vote for a Mormon, similar to the 20 percent to 21 percent that gave the same response in March.
A February 2007 Gallup poll, however, showed Republicans were more opposed to voting for a Mormon candidate. Thirty percent of Republicans compared to 23 percent of Democrats expressed opposition.
Gallup concluded by commenting: “Up to 14 percent of Republicans have supported Romney for his party’s nomination at various times since June 2007. Still, he clearly faces some anti-Mormon opposition to his candidacy within the Republican Party as well as among the general public.”
The Gallup Poll also found additional biases potentially harmful to other candidates from both major parties, including: 4 percent of Americans (including 3 percent Republicans) say they would not vote for a Catholic; 5 percent would not vote for a black; 12 percent would not vote for a woman; and 12 percent would not vote for a Hispanic.
In addition, a Gallup poll earlier this year found 28 percent of Americans say they would not vote for someone who is on his third marriage, and 40 percent would not vote for someone who is 72 years of age.
Results from the latest survey are based on telephone interviews conducted Dec. 6-9, 2007, with 1,027 national adults, aged 18 and older.
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wow jester, now if that isn't narrow-minded ignorance I don't know what is!
But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
2nd Corinthians 11:12-15
"What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same" (D&C 1:38).
What did I expect? Something not quite so "fake". But then, I do expect too much.
What were you expecting to find? The gospel doesn't change from one scripture to another. It is the same to whomever the Lord reveals it.
Wow...i should read your scriptures. its amazing how the BOM takes actual scriptures from the Bible and uses them (for authenticity sake of course. how else are people gonna believe that God gave the BOM if you don't throw some truth in there) to propigate a lie.
"precept upon precept" Isaiah 28:13
"from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have" strikingly similar to Matthew 25:29 which says "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away."
"For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have" (2 Nephi 28:30).
Good luck then.
be that as it may, I will still stick with the one and only true Word of God. We've got a Bible store just down the street filled with books that mention Jesus and even quote and use the Bible as a refrence, but it doesn't make them right or true. To look at whether their message is supported by the Bible is the true test (not just whether they threw "Jesus" and "God" in there from time to time or used a few scriptures....Purpose Driven Life is a good example of someone using the Word of God erroneously and promoting false doctrine)...that is where I compare ALL teachings. And the BOM, although it uses God and Jesus as their point of authenticity, doesn't make it true.
When people post a scripture, I always check the reference first before i read. If it's not from the Bible, I usually ignore it.
The Book of Mormon is the word of God, as is the Bible. It talks of Christ, preaches of Christ, teaches of Christ and His atonement. An name or title of Christ appears every 1.7 verses. It preaches repentance, and faith on our Lord and Savior. It is another testament of Jesus Christ. I will live by every word that proceeds forth from the mouth of God, not just the ones I pick and choose.
hesa, try to stick with the Word of God. Quoting the BOM is like quoting from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Means absolutely nothing.
And I'd like to agree with you about salvation, but unfortunately it goes against the Word of God. which is what i live by.
Salvation cannot come until there is a judgment. The final judgment will not come until after the millenium. Christ will be that Final Judge (Rom. 14:10).
God does all those things for us because of His transcendent love for us. It is not something that we have "earned" because we think we've been saved. Christ healed many lepers, blind, etc., and not one of them had been "saved." He just did it for them. If we show even a seed of faith, then God is able to work miracles in our lives. That is not because we have been saved and exalted in His kingdom, but is a demonstration of God's love in our lives, and an evidence of our faith in Him. If it were possible to be saved in an instant, then what would the purpose be for this life? Why would people stick around? People would be killing themselves right and left once they had been saved just to get out of this fallen world. No, we must endure to the end. Receiving forgiveness of sin is a far cry from being saved in the kingdom of God. The steps are faith in Christ, repentence, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and receiving the gift of the holy ghost by the laying on of hands, after which we endure to the end following all of God's commandments.
"17 Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.
18 And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.
19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.
20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
21 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen" (2 Nephi 31:17-21).
So, salvation does not come until the end of days? And that all these things that God does for us (i.e delivering us from habits, freeing us from addictions, healing us, blessing us) is because of....?
being delivered, set free, healed and blessed does not bring salvation. Salvation brings those blessings. And if we are not saved until we have "endured" to the end, then something is wrong. And if we are not considered saved until we have accepted Jesus, been baptized, and filled with the Holy Spirit, then there is still something wrong. I have known people who were enslaved to drugs, porn, alcohol, etc, who were delivered as soon as they gave their heart to God. They hadn't been baptized in water or Spirit yet. Many of them had gone years after their salvation without receiving the Holy Spirit's baptism...and yet God used them and blessed them. How do you explain that? Apparently, God's view of being a child of His is different from yours.
A person gets saved only insomuch as they quit fornicating, quit lying, cheating, etc., AND have faith in Jesus Christ, are baptized by immersion for the remission of sins by one having the authority of God, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and endure to the end by daily repenting, following all the commandments of God, and feasting on the words of Christ which He has given through the scriptures and the living prophets and apostles.
That is how a person is saved.
So, if a person "gets saved" and does nothing, except quits fornicating, quits lying, cheating, etc etc...but doesn't actually "do and works"...is that person saved? Through his "salvation" he becomes a changed man....but he's not truly saved...