Religion and politics is a big topic on the national scene. Both Democrats and Republicans are maneuvering to solidify support among conservative, evangelical Christians, and presidential candidates from both parties are vying for an early advantage with the faith community.
For Republicans, it is an effort to hold a political base that has been the bedrock of the party for the past decade or so. For the Democrats, it is an effort to recapture a voting block that was once its strength.
A survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that in the last three national elections, the more a person went to church, the more he or she tended to vote Republican. Conversely the less a person went to church, the more he or she tended to vote Democratic.
Studying the elections for members of the House of Representatives, Pew found that 60 percent of those who attended church more than once a week voted Republican in the 2006 election. In 2004 and 2002, that percentage was 61 percent. Interestingly 17 percent of 2006 voters fell into this category.
Of those who reported attending church at least weekly — 28 percent of voters — 53 percent voted Republican in 2006. That was down from 57 percent in both 2004 and 2002.
Democrats received 57 percent of the votes in 2006 of those who attended church at least monthly, or 12 percent of voters. In 2004, that number was 50 percent, and in 2002, it was 52 percent.
Of those who reported attending church only a few times a year — 25 percent of voters — Democrats led 60–38 percent in 2006. In 2004, Democrats led 55–43 percent, and in 2002, Democrats nudged out Republicans 50–47 percent.
Among those who said they never went to church, Democrats received 67 percent of the votes in 2006. That was up from 60 percent in 2004 and 55 percent in 2002. That category made up 15 percent of voters in 2006.
Among white evangelicals, Pew reported that 72 percent voted Republican in U.S. House races nationwide in 2006, down from 75 percent in 2004.
Obviously the stakes are high for both parties as campaigning for the 2008 presidential election begins. Republicans have identified 10 prominent evangelical leaders whom they believe help shape opinions among evangelicals, and these 10 are being heavily courted by the various candidates. The Democrats have hired consultants to help them shape their message so it will be more acceptable to conservative Christians.
Everyone recognizes that even a small shift among evangelical voters can make a big difference in a country where political races have been won by razor-thin margins.
Candidates from both parties try to sell themselves in a variety of ways. Some emphasize past service. Some tout their positions on social issues. Some talk about the importance of their religious faith. Some share conversion testimonies. Some promote all of these or some combination of them.
Voters must listen with discernment as they decide which candidate they will support.
One claim surfacing early in the presidential race is that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints (LDS, or the Mormon church) is a Christian religion. The issue gained prominence as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a Mormon, gained ground in fund raising and popular support. Even an official from Pew referred to Mormonism as a "Christian" religion in a national radio broadcast earlier this year, and USA Today published a recent article quoting a Mormon author saying, "Americans need to stop thinking of Mormons as non-Christian … ."
However, Mormons are not generally recognized as Christians by mainline Protestants, evangelicals or Roman Catholics.
United Methodists, in their 2000 General Conference, approved a statement that read, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by self-definition, does not fit within the bounds of the historic, apostolic tradition of Christian faith … . As United Methodists we agree with their assessment that the LDS Church is not a part of the historic, apostolic tradition of the Christian faith."
In June 2001, Pope John Paul II rejected the argument that Mormon baptism was a valid Christian baptism in a paper released by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
In response to the question "Are Mormons generally regarded as Christians?," the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod said, "[T]ogether with the vast majority of Christian denominations in the United States, (this denomination) does not regard the Mormon church as a Christian church."
The reason? "[B]ecause the official writings of Mormonism deny fundamental teachings of orthodox Christianity," the statement continued. Some of the differences relate to the nature of God, the nature of man, the Trinity, the saving work of Christ, the nature of the Bible and more.
An Interfaith Evangelism Belief Bulletin prepared by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and available online at www.thealabamabaptist.org outlines several key areas of disagreement between Southern Baptists and Mormons that lead Southern Baptists to consider Mormons as non-Christians.
As far as the National Council of Churches (NCC) goes, a spokeswoman said the NCC has held interfaith dialogues with the Mormon church. However, the LDS church is not eligible for membership in the NCC because of "major theological issues." She added that she knows of no Christian denomination that recognizes Mormons as Christians.
But none of this indicts Romney’s candidacy. There is no religious test for political office in the United States. Nor is this an indictment of Mormonism. There is no established church in this nation either. And it is true that similar positions on several major social issues have made Mormons and Baptists political allies on several occasions.
The concern is that in the rush of political parties to use religion to advance partisan goals, central teachings of the Christian faith not be compromised by allowing a non-Christian religion to be carelessly labeled and accepted as Christian. Our faith in the total sufficiency of the saving work of Jesus Christ is too important to sacrifice for any partisan political goal.
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