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TechnoratiDespite Huckabee's strength with evangelical voters, he has had a tougher time building support among less religious Republicans. He had the support of only 14 percent of non-evangelicals in the survey, compared to Giuliani's 31 percent.
"If he's going to be successful in the long run, he has to expand his appeal from social conservatives," said Neil Newhouse, a GOP pollster not affiliated with a presidential candidate, according to AP. "If he's able to do that, he'll give anybody a run for their money."
3. Mormonism
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s bid to become president of the United States put his Mormon faith in the spotlight and has been for many Mormons, a historic moment of arrival.
But even for the many Mormons who support Romney, the moment has been fraught with anxiety because of fears that his candidacy will bring intense scrutiny to their church.
Mormons believe in a false gospel and are not Christians, concluded one of the nation’s preeminent evangelicals in what appeared to be the close of an online debate over Mormonism.
“Here is the bottom line. As an Evangelical Christian – a Christian who holds to the ‘traditional Christian orthodoxy’ of the Church – I do not believe that Mormonism leads to salvation,” wrote Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, during a monthlong “blog dialogue” sponsored this past summer by the Web site Beliefnet.com.
“To the contrary, I believe that it is a false gospel that, however sincere and kind its adherents may be, leads to eternal death rather than to eternal life,” he stated.
Debates over Mormonism were more frequent and more heated in 2007 than in past years.
In October, Dr. Richard Land, president of the SBC’s Washington-based Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, added more food for thought, saying on the TV show “Political Capital” with Al Hunt that he considers the Mormon church to be the fourth Abrahamic religion.
“Judaism being the first, Christianity being the second, Islam being the third and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints being the fourth,” said the prominent Baptist leader, whose denomination had previously listed Mormonism under “cults and sects” but more recently moved it under “newly developed religions” on the apologetics page of its North American Mission Board.
Land said he views Mormonism “in the same sense” as he looks upon Islam – as another religion.
“Joseph Smith would play the same character in Mormonism that Muhammad plays in Islam,” Land noted, referring to the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement.
The question of whether Mormonism can be considered part of the Christian family has not only drawn attention from adherents of both faiths, but also non-believers because of its implications on the presidential race.
According to a Gallup poll, which released its results earlier this year, 46 percent of Americans say they have an unfavorable opinion of the Mormon religion in general while 42 percent have a favorable opinion.
Americans who are more religious, based on church attendance, have highly negative views of the religion.
4. Homosexuality
As always, homosexuality was a large issue this year and fueled a number of persistent debates within and outside the Church. Continue »
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