Should We Conder a Candidate's Religion

[Caneman]

here is a topic that has come up recently, should we use a candidate's religion in our assessment of him/her as a candidate for public office?

of course I am referring to Mitt Romney, and the comments made about his chosen religious belief...

as for me, I think it is appropriate to consider one's faith in our consideration of them as a candidate, for their faith is the very foundation of someone's thoughts and judgements in how they make decisions... what say you?

[Alpo]

Not just no, but hell no.

John Smith is running for Governor. We should decide whether we want him running our state based on his past record and what he says he will do. Not on whether or not he is a Catholic or a Baptist or a Mormon or a Jew or a Buddhist or a Hindu or a Shinto.

Voting based on his religion is right up there with voting based on his color, and we all know how well that worked in '08.

[Poppypaul]

Well, I have a slightly different view. If the candiate's beliefs are part of and consistent with the religion's pronouncements then they are fair game to be considered. For example if a candidate believes in a religon that calls for the killing of "non-believers" then it certainly would cause me not to vote for him/her. Generally, I think that religous beliefs are private matters UNLESS those beliefs call for things that are contrary to our form of government and freedoms.

[Fast Forward]

Don,t think I,d vote for anyone who isn,t a Christian of Some sort

[HunterAlpha1]

here's the difference between color and religion:

one is unchangeable, and the other is a choice.

i'm Scotch, Irish, English, Mexican, and Cherokee.

would i vote for a black candidate? sure, if i thought he was the man for the job.
what about asian? Indian? Jewish? Hispanic? i'd vote for someone of any race, as long as they were for what i believe in(or the lesser of two evils).


i'm Reformed Presbyterian.

would i vote for a baptist, methodist, episcopal, or any of the other standard Christian denominations? yes, so long as they were for what i believe in.

would i vote for a muslim? NEVER!
would i vote for a buddhist? NEVER!
would i vote for a hindu? NEVER!
taoist? NEVER!
Jehovah's witness? NEVER!
mormon? NEVER!
greenie? NEVER!
and NEVER! to many others.

why? most of the religions on the NEVER! list are out-and-out heathens, and the rest make a blasphemous mockery of Christianity. a politician who follows one of these beliefs will vote on laws that reflect their beliefs.

being in public office will also grant them the unrivaled chance to spread said beliefs. if he passes laws that are popular people will be more inclined to attend his place of worship. they will be more open to his religion's message and more likely to convert.

if romney(note the lower case "r") wins the nomination i will either vote a write-in or vote for another party.

[rcairflr]

I think you should consider whatever is important to you.

There is no way I would ever vote for a Muslim.

[Bobitis]

Can't... comment... without... offending....

Politics and religion make strange bedfellows.

Adding the two is a recipe for disaster.

Carry on if ya can, but I'll not hold my breath.

[jack404]

is the persona faith compatible with a democratic process ?

if yes, why not??

dont matter what i think or feel if its compatable with democracy then it should be Ok , this would exclude islam as they seek a alternate rule , not democratic but theocratic so that rules out Islam

rules out anyone taited with socialism too

so half the current democratic party is out

and sorry to say 1/3 of the republicans too

so go from there and you should be ok

[RunningOnMT]

Honestly I don't know. On one hand my first reaction is to agree with Alpo; judge based on the persons position on government affairs and job performance. Then, another part of me thinks one should not support an athiest, Hindue, Muslim, or Scientoligist. In other words only a Christian or Jew.

But then the choice gets a little blurred as there are some religions that call themselves Christian whose beliefs are nothing but cultish. So are these any better than athiests? I don't know.

[jack404]

ok take a look at these so called Christians , we have a mob here ,"the exclusive brethren"

to them we are all "worldies" because we live in the world of sin and damnation , only they can be "good people" these i'd not have as they are a dictatorship , not compatible with democracy and equal rights among citizens , so them no

i'm not a fan of the Mormon Church although i've a lot of time for the folks in it , i see no issues there as they are fearcely democratic with a defined seperation of church and state , Mormon judge here is our last open and honest one .. holding against the liberal socialists we been stacking the courts with the last few years, and Thank God he is there ..

Scientologists have to give over everything to a higher up so no , not compatible with democracy

look at our system

look at theres

you'll see whos compatible real quick and who's not , and let the religion thing stand as a side while you look , see if they allow others to be free.. thats the fastest way to view it

if they do ok , if they dont ... theres your answer..

[American Leader]

NO! But having said that, I personally would not vote for an athiest!

[jack404]

thats personal choice AL ! your free to vote for whom ever you choose or not choose ..

and me either , i think i want someone with a moral basis and the morals i prefer are Judeo/Christian ones , and thats how i vote ..

who can you vote for is the issue , i think a persons background and beleifs are and should be looked at before being eligible to run for any office , i mean , why vote for someone who is against what your nation stands for / hard core commo's for 1 ? socialists 2? islamists 3? cults that prescribe to totalitarianism 4..

these groups should not be allowed in the democratic process , as they stand to destroy what gives us our freedoms .. they are anti democratic ..

would solve a lot of hassles at the moment no ??

[henry77]

I don't want to vote for Romney regardless of his religion. I also don't want to vote for a muslim, nor a commie nor a socialist.

[CampingJosh]

I'm not sure it's my place to determine for another any criteria upon which to cast his/her vote. I get to determine what criteria I use for my own vote, and it can be as foolish as the amount of melanin in the various candidate's skin (which seems to have been popular in 2008) or as wise as a deep understanding of the economic policies of the various candidates. Either way, I get one vote to do with whatever I choose.

If I could pick one criteria that everyone should use, I don't think I'd choose a candidate's religion anyway. I'd probably go with something related to liberty.

[berto64]

I am with Jack404.

[redwing carson]

If you want to be the most powerful man in the world you must be able to defend your ideals personal and private. Romney has a sorry record on gun control as well. Can he defend that? Harry Ried is a Morman Bishop and very liberal but he is elected every time he runs. You can be elected regardless of your religion but yes you should be able to defend it.

[carver]

How you vote is personal, and your choice of candidate is also personal. We vote for those that support our beliefs. However, I think each of us should look really close at the life of the candidate, and that includes his/her religion, or lack thereof. What a person stands for is dictated by their choices in life, and their religion is a choice. You can see it if you look into their past. Take Romney for example, he has spent most of his political career as a Demoncat, and he is very much like Harry Reid. Both of which are Mormons, I believe. Traveling over a large part of the U.S. I have met many people of the Mormon Religion, and for the most part they are good, upstand men, and women. But do they reflect my beliefs? If they don't reflect what I believe, then I vote for the person that does! If there are no candidates that reflect my beliefs, then I vote according to what I can learn about them. And I do look into their religion.

[user]

Absolutely! Those religious people are trouble.
I want someone with the connection to Daddy that Jesus died to bring us.

All seriousness aside, I'm thinking, which of the candidates has the stones necessary to control DHS and the NSA? I'm thinking, it sure ain't Romney.

[Archie]

I'm a lifelong Christian; an ordained SoBap preacher. My basic stance should be pretty obvious. However, President Jimmy Carter was an unqualified disaster; possibly second only to President Obama. Being a Christian is no replacement for competence. (I feel the same way about brain surgeons, by the way.)

The only 'religions' I consider to be an automatic disqualification are those incompatible with the American form of democratic republic. A Muslim running on a 'Sharia only' platform would not get my vote. An Aztec wanting to sacrifice virgins to the economy god would not, either.

Mitt Romney. Not my favorite politician. I certainly have doctrinal and theological issues with both Governor Romney and his church.

On the other hand, a vote for any person other than the Republican nominee is a vote to keep Barack Obama in the Presidency. Sorry folks, but that includes Ron Paul as well.

I think I'd prefer Herman Cain, Representative Michele Bachmann or Governor Rick Perry (in that order), but I will vote for the Republican nominee, because I do not want to suffer four more years of Barack Obama.

Yeah, it may stink. Life is like that.

[whirley]

I was raised and educated catholic, ancestors were Congregationalists, Jews, Methodists etc. Heinz 57 for that matter. I've met so called Christians who cheat, lie, steal and whore all week, then grab their bibles and attend church on sunday. We have a closet muslim in the White House who has promised to change this country and by-pass our laws and the Constitution on which our laws are based. He associates with and calls friend others of like mind. I want him out and will vote for anyone who might be able to defeat him. Religious beliefs,...hogwash. The media gave us McCain, and now they're trying to stick us with another loser! I'll vote for a Martian if he can defeat those socialist b***s now! If OBAMA wins a second term, play TAPS over the United States.....

[Heretic]

Mitt Romney is a mormon. His magic underwear will keep the country safe.

[Caneman]

Originally Posted by Heretic

Mitt Romney is a mormon. His magic underwear will keep the country safe.

that was over the top... no need to denigrate one's religious practices however different they may seem to you and me... it would have been far better to focus on what their core beliefs are, such as their interpretation of Jesus Christ, for example...

[terryu1]

I definately consider religion along with many other attributes of a candidate. I will admit that there are one or two situations where religion alone will disqualify a candidate for me but usually not.

[Old Grump]

I couldn't give two toots in a stiff wind what a man's religion is if he respects mine too. Intolerant people no matter what church or religion they adhere to are to be avoided at all costs. Race and religion have nothing to do with what is in a man's heart.

On the other hand 52% of the brain dead electorate voted for hope and change in the hopes that his disdain for the constitution, his hate for America and his intolerance for normal activity by man of us, ie. gun ownership, our bible and our gun collection makes him more acceptable to the rest of the world. I hope they are happy now that we are a laughing stock with a bobbing shoe kisser for president. It has nothing to do with his race or his two religions but everything to do with his lack of any moral standards.

[Caneman]

Originally Posted by Old Grump

Race and religion have nothing to do with what is in a man's heart.

I would say that race is a nonissue, of course.

However, if religion has nothing to do with what is in a man's heart then he is either heartless or his religion is meaningless, imo... which really is the whole point of this for me in that the decisions a man makes are influenced by his faith... investigate a man's religious beliefs and you will better understand the man.