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 Mitt Romney has struggled to connect with Southern evangelicals.
March 14th, 2012
11:51 AM ET
With Alabama and Mississippi losses, Romney continues to stumble in Bible BeltBy Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor (CNN) – Mitt Romney’s losses in Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday offered more stark evidence of a huge stumbling in his quest for the GOP nomination and the White House: his difficulty winning in the evangelical-rich Bible Belt. With Rick Santorum’s victories in Alabama and Mississippi, he and Newt Gingrich have taken all but one Bible Belt state in the primaries. In Alabama, where self-described white evangelicals made up 75% of Republican voters Tuesday, Romney got 27% of their votes, compared with 35% for Santorum and 32% for Gingrich, according to exit polls. In Mississippi, where white evangelicals accounted for 80% of the vote, Romney got 29% evangelical support, compared with 35% for Santorum and 32% for Gingrich. CNN's Belief Blog – all the faith angles to the day's top stories Romney is a Mormon, while Santorum and Gingrich are Catholics. Recent polls show that about half of white evangelicals say Mormonism is not a Christian faith. “This has nothing to do with religion but with the fact that Romney is only recently pro-life and only recently able to articulate an argument against same-sex marriage,” said Richard Land, the public policy chief at the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest evangelical denomination. “Romney would have had a less difficult pathway to the nomination if he had been more Mormon – if he had taken the positions of his church on abortion and marriage earlier,” Land said. But exit polls suggest that views about religion played a big role in Tuesday’s primaries. Nearly half of voters in Alabama and Mississippi said the religious beliefs of the candidates mattered a great deal, and Romney fared poorly among those voters, winning 26% of them in Mississippi and just 16% in Alabama. “Religion is a proxy for trustworthiness of a candidate, especially for white evangelical voters,” said Robert P. Jones, a pollster who focuses on religion and values questions. “The thinking goes that if there’s a person of faith and good moral character, I can trust them to make decisions even on issues where I don’t know where they stand.” Jones notes that the Southern Baptist Convention for years issued materials calling Mormonism a cult. “There’s a long history of antipathy,” toward Mormons among evangelicals, Jones said, and “that’s certainly playing a role in the Deep South.” Santorum, Jones says, has stances on social issues that line up more with rank-and-file evangelicals than with rank-and file Catholics. In the Bible Belt, Santorum has won primaries in Tennessee, Missouri and Kansas, while Gingrich has won South Carolina and Georgia. Romney won the Virginia primary, but neither Santorum nor Gingrich was on the ballot there. Still, Romney maintains a big lead among his competitors in terms of delegates. Because Alabama's 47 delegates and Mississippi's 37 delegates will be awarded proportionally, Romney appeared to maintain his delegate lead and may add to it after more moderate Hawaii's 17 delegates are distributed. A CNN delegate estimate early Wednesday showed Romney with a 489-234 lead over Santorum, giving him a 255-delegate margin. Mark DeMoss, a senior adviser to the Romney campaign helping with outreach to evangelicals, says he has been discouraging Republican voters from making too big a deal of the candidates' religious faith. “A candidate's values are critically important, but there are Southern Baptists who don’t share my values or political views on many issues, and there are Mormons and Catholics and Jews who do,” said DeMoss, a Southern Baptist. |
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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All those so called 'evangelicals' and bible belt folks cannot understand how they are insulting God.
We humans have been gifted with the ability to think, to decide, to reason – to be rational. We have the innate characteristic of curiosity that has lead to many discoveries for all of man kind, both good and bad.
When people are choosing to be subserviant, to ignore science and to ridicule any other belief system that differs from their own, they are being irrational. That is the direct opposite of what God has gifted us with.
In this political circus many people are more concerned about maintaining their beliefs and choose ignorance. These same people discount and prevent any opportunity man kind has to advance itself.
In short, they act in an irrational manner. Being subserviant is irrational. Ignoring our gifts is irrational. This is insulting God – these people are ignoring our gifts from God.
In the political realm, same thing. The bible belt chooses to only endorse the candidate of their same belief system and ignore all other candidates and all other ideas.
This is insulting God. Use your gifts – there is no God's will. You are in charge of your own destiny.
TRUE. You don't have to throw out your beliefs to be tolerant of other religions... in this case, Mormons. Open your horizons.
The evangelicals are almost as bad as liberals!!!!!!! I Know one guy he thinks dinosaurs lived at the same time man did!!!!KOO KOO bird
All Evangelicals believe that dinosaurs walked side by side with man. It's called the Flintstone theory. Remember, they believe that the Earth is only 6000 years old.
Only for the newbies:
Why the Christian Right no longer matters in presidential elections:
Once again, all the conservative votes in the country "ain't" going to help a "pro-life" presidential candidate, i.e Mitt Romney, Newton Leroy Gingrich, Ron Paul or Rick Santorum, in 2012 as the "Immoral Majority" rules the country and will be doing so for awhile. The "Immoral Majority" you ask?
The fastest growing USA voting bloc: In 2008, the 70+ million "Roe vs. Wade mothers and fathers" of aborted womb-babies" whose ranks grow by two million per year i.e. 78+ million "IM" voters in 2012.
2008 Presidential popular vote results:
69,456,897 for pro-abortion/choice BO, 59,934,814 for "pro-life" JM.
And the irony:
And all because many women fail to take the Pill once a day or men fail to use a condom even though in most cases these men have them in their pockets. (maybe they should be called the "Stupid Majority"?)
The failures of the widely used birth "control" methods i.e. the Pill and male condom have led to the large rate of abortions ( one million/yr) and S-TDs (19 million/yr) in the USA. Men and women must either recognize their responsibilities by using the Pill or condoms properly and/or use other safer birth control methods in order to reduce the epidemics of abortion and S-TDs.
Pro Choice voters are more intelligent than pro lifers, and that is a fact. Go to any elite college, and survey the students and professors, and you will find they are overwhelmingly pro choice.
You have to be a serious idiot to be pro life.
Romney is all go and no show. Gingrich and Santorum are just the opposite. I'd rather have a pitcher who can win rather one who looks good in warmups.
Romney is the right man for the job. He's fighting off the media and religious 'snobbery'. Exit polls said that 'same religious views' trumped, "can beat Obama'. I think a majority of Evangelicals are with it, but that large minority needs to get over their fears of Mormons.
Seriously, just meet a Mormon. They are cool people in general.
There's no question that Santorum is catching what Romney is pitching. The whole campaign is getting more and more frothy even before a climax is reached.
http://santorum.com
Santorum thinks he will be president as he rips apart the republican base. I don't think he has a bandaid big enough to heal the wound he is inflicting.
I'd like to get behind Rick Santorum and give him my solid support, but until he's more open about all the stimulus that has gone into his package, we won't know for sure that he's a real Republican and a true evangelical Christian. No matter how oral he gets on Romney, Romney is still just getting a head.
No way has Santorum been able to get out and on top of Romney so far despite his occasional thrusts in the south. The messy climax is not far off in this erection campaign and you can learn about it here
http://santorum.com
LOL. Nicely loaded. You can see where he's coming from.
As long as we all get a happy ending. Maybe we can all learn to get a long, and feel for each other.
Sounds like there was a whole lot of feeling going on before the climax.
Not to get too anal and stiff here but one must continue to lubricate for Jesus and be prepared to shoot your load when commanded.
"Romney is a Mormon, while Santorum and Gingrich are Catholics. Recent polls show that about half of white evangelicals say Mormonism is not a Christian faith."
We will never progress as a society while people use religion to guide their lives.
I'm not going to take a position on your comment...but how would you explain the 200+ years of US progress while people have used religion to guide their lives?
To Joseph Smith: What an incredible stretch! People have not just used religion to enhance their lives. Think about it...
I moved down here and These religious weirdoooos are crazy people. They put Romney down for his religion, He has a beautiful family!!! not like some of the rednecks I meet. Who are you people to judge anyone. Guess What !!!!!! We don't need your vote because it is over.
Re-read what Jon S. said...you're missing the point.
Religious views can be a guide, but people need to use their brains as well. If Romney is the most qualified, don't kick him out because you don't understand his faith. Besides, he's not forcing his faith on you... live and let live.
The reason Mitt is misunderstood – is the simple fact he is a Mormon – the south with all their religious ties – can't seem to make Mormonism out to be a religion – more of a cult following. So the outcome is understandable
Why is it called the Bible Belt? Ignorance Belt would be a far more descriptive name.
Just your opinion which is not important.
Yet you responded to his post.
It is hard for a lot of people to understand, but the fundamentalist mentality is so common that the people who grow up there think it is 'normal' to have those ideas. they actually think everyone is like that. They really don't know they are in the minority.
I moved out.
Roy,
You might want to stick a comma, after opinion, what you wrote is a runon. Do you want people here to believe that you, and people who feel the same way, are poorly educated.
The "get a brain morans" picture comes to mind......
If the republicans nominate Rick Santorum for the highest seat in the nation, then they are dooming themselves to a whopping in November. Santorum does not have the leadership to bring this nation together! Come on, really?
Exactly, what has he led before?? A company? NO.. A State? No. Has he governed anything but his family? NO. And now he wants to be the CEO of the largest operation in the world. Get real. At least Mitt knows how to balance a budget.. He has had to do that many times in business, with the Olympic games, and in Governing a state. Seems Mitt has the resume.. Rick has a sweater.
Hey James...while we're talking wardrobes: don't forget about Mitt's special panties that he wears. Wow, that's a nasty visual!
I never thought I would agree with Santorum on anything, but he is right about Southern Baptist literature. I was raised to believe Mormonism was a cult. No kidding, in my child’s mind they were no less scary than the Manson family. However, no one in our church had anything positive to say about Catholics either, mostly because they and Lutherans believed it was ok to drink wine and it aint, its as evil as beer and likker. It all fits hand in hand with the sermon that drove me away forever “Darwin killed more innocents than Hitler and Stalin combined.”
I am not making this up, I wish I were, and I know that not every Southern Baptist church was this extreme. Point being, fundamentalism in any religion is frightening, that is why people who sound as if they want a theocracy should be avoided like the plague.
What is Souther baptist extremism.. let's see.. The KKK come to mind.. A preacher burning korans and every one who disagrees with them is going to hell .. In their opinion.. They only vote for Santorum because they hate Mormons more than they hate Catholics. They still think Catholics are going to hell too..
The Christian Right is going to be the death of the GOP, and rightly so.
So true. I agree 100 %
More like the Mormon, right center and middle... the White Horse Prophecy?
OBAMA STORM COMING
(1) will have a billion dollar campaign war chest from Super PACs.
(2) will have increased tax payer campaign transportation;as he has pulled nine cargo aircraft from the U.S. Airforce military operations, to support his stepped up visits to campaign sites.
(3) will continue to get free media coverage from the usual liberal news (propaganda) media outlets.
(4) has sucessfully "gamed" the legal system of nine States; such that voter ID will not be legal, and even a octopus in a wig can vote for him....twice.
(5) will have another stimulus bill that will include much for women,and will forgive federal studen loans.
(6) will be involved with taking out Iran's Nukes before they become deliverable.
(7) will receive 400 million dollar campaign donations for the Union bosses,along with 400 thousand Union members for door to door campaigning.
(8) Limbaugh is rapidly becoming one of Obama's best vote getters. Limbaugh's diatribe mouth is causing women to run fast, and far from the GOP. Yes, there are the faithful Republican women,and faithful Democratic women....it is the Independent women's vote that can be won,or lost.
GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES,KEEP UP YOUR BACK BITING,SQUABBLING IMAGE. YOUR ACTIONS ARE HELPING OBAMA'S IMAGE.
Thanks for the pep talk, but Obama will win because he has the most coherent and acceptable view of the way forward for our country. And the people will support him.
Observer – So your assessment of where we are in 2012 is a path forward? The future looks grim.
All those who missed your noon meds, and got away, and started making lists, please see me immediately.
Obama will be asking the mice and spiders here to help in his reelection. Pay them no mind. It's just all part of a vast conspiracy. Go about your business.
Robmey will articulate a position as soon as it suits his campaign goals and rework that position as needed. Watch for him to switch back to being pro-choice and pro-gay marriage if he receives the nomination. He's not a severe conservative. He's a severe flip-flopper and not much else.
BS
Dave's from Mass...he should know.
p.s. – anybody even remotely objective would agree with this. Mitt's record is looooong and ugly on this point.
"only recently able to articulate an argument against same-sx marriage"
I found that line interesting. I have yet to hear anyone articulate a reasonable argument against same-sx marriage. What was it exactly?
OOOOO I think I know this one!
Teacher teacher pick me!
So true!!! Being Icky is not a good argument, and if it is against someone's religion, that has jack squat to do with it. If folks want to live in a Theocracy, PLEASE move to Iran, and let us know how that works out for you!
"Same-sx"...ummm, what's that?
Would you really want to elect someone who mistreats the family pet?
http://www.dogsagainstromney.com
NON-ISSUE! A years-old controversy about a dog means squat to the voters nationwide when our country is on the edge of the cliff, fiscally speaking. Our country is almost broke, thanks to Obama's economic policies, and you bring up some washed up dog issue? Get real!
Even dogs think Romney is a real son of b!tch!
@Valentina
Put the blame for the financial crisis where it should be. With 95% of politicians of the last 30-40 years. Democrat and Republican alike. Blaming Obama for all our problems now is stupid and partisan. Congress, and many of the presidents of recent history have done whatever they want with minimal reprisals from the people.
Really? Let's look at the man, not the product of his campaign handlers. If he's unkind to animals, what claim does he have to being a human being worthy of respect.
@Valentina – another idiot with the ability to repeat silly rhetoric. Please don't breed or vote.
Does that mean I can let my dog ride with his head out the window or ride in the back of the truck?
Why should I deny any dog of that joy?
Next thing we'll know, will be hearing from the environmentalist that the genetically engineered algae could get loose and destroy our planet.
@ Sam – you know, Obama supporters are known for calling other people names. It just shows how unsophisticated you people are.
Our country was broke well before Obama came into office. If one of the republicans somehow gets elected they will probably run up the debt more and blame it on Obama.
In the Bible Belt, they still keep their dogs in the back of trucks. What's the difference?
I do not believe there are some scriptures in the bible that give any men or women power to judge any body for is own believe. If there are some religious who preach that kind of doctrine, they are Christians and another group not christian: I do believe they speak for the devil who preach to hate one another, but the doctrine of Jesus Christ is light, love one another. Jesus said that to a group of people who think they were not born of fornication : ST JOHN Chapter 8 :41-48. I do believe God loves all His children on earth or whatever religions you are, but if someone seeks to lives with Him again,you have to follow God rules and His principles to return to Him, by only His way,when you follow how His Only Begotten Jesus Christ was organized His church when He was on earth.
Winning in Alabama and Mississippi is nothing to be proud of.
You aint kiddin...
Sheeeeeit, son, you ain't kiddin'.
Now that was funny Red. Scary that the people in those states actually vote.
One may craft an elaborate theology and label it whatever one wants, but that does not make it what it claims to be.
I live in Illinois, and I am a follower of Jesus Christ. I'm active in a Bible-believing church in the Chicago suburbs. In no way do I hate Mormons. However, I do believe that the Jesus that they teach about is not the Jesus revealed in the Bible. I also believe that anyone that is not born again, trusting Jesus Christ as their Savior for forgiveness of sin, will never see Heaven. I would have a real hard time voting for Mr. Romney simply because of his being a Mormon and (1) the skewed Morman history of the American continent, and (2) his open embrace of a false god. I could not support that.
I have other concerns relating to his positions and so forth, but not anything I would refuse to vote for him about.
And there is no insult intended I am sure, merely to distinguish between Christianity as commonly understood since Nicaea, and as rejected by Joseph Smith. Mitt Romney does not consider Rick Santorum to be a Christian in the sense that he considers himself to be a "restored" Christian, and the rejection is mutual and respectful.
Curt – your first and second sentences describe me also. And I am a strong Romney supporter. He has proclaimed Jesus Christ as his Savior and I will let God be the judge of the details of whose sect is correct in its various beliefs and whose isn't. When I was growing up we used to argue with other kids about the various beliefs that differ among the protestant sects. And the Catholics have different beliefs still. If you read the recent articles on the Mormons' baptism of those already deceased, you would be surprised that the language of their ritual is substantively the same as for protestants. We will find out someday who is wrong and who is right, but our beliefs do not change what is or is not. In the meantime, Romney is hands down the best qualified person for the Presidency, based on his experience alone. You should base your vote on who is most likely to beat Obama and who is the best qualified to be President, in my opinion, and let God do the voting on the rest of it.
That's a perfect example of bigotry – and this is coming from a Christina evangelical, concerned more about fiscal issues facing our country than social issues. Although I consider myself fiscally and socially conservative I cannot imagine myself voting for Santorum – and the reason for that is because he is not fiscally conservative enough to fix the problems facing our nation. For goodness sake, Curt, we are electing the President of the United States, not Pastor General.
curt you won't vote for mitt because he is mormon?! just because he believes in magic underwear doesnt make him any crazier then you for believing in talking snakes and virgins giving birth!
So long as I don't get stuck spending eternity with self-righteous douchebags such as yourself, it's all good.
Interesting comment here about Mormons not believing in the same Christ. Let me tell you about the Christ they believe in and then you can tell me what the difference is.
Mormons believe in a Savior who was prophesied to come and redeem the world of sin. They believe in a young boy who was born of Mary and was raised without sin, who at the young age of 12 taught men much older then him in the Temple. They also believe in a man who healed the sick, fed the hungry, and raised the dead. They believe in a man who called 12 apostles to help preach and teach the word of his Father. This Same man is the man that performed miracles, taught love and forgiveness and when he was beaten, spat upon, scourged and then crucified for who he was he simply said "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do." After he died he was resurrected that we all might live again. Now that is the Jesus that Mormons believe in, please tell us what Jesus you believe in.
Thank you nairb247!!!!
Curt A.
I live in Illinois, and I am a follower of Jesus Christ. I'm active in a Bible-believing church in the Chicago suburbs.
>
Well isnt that F'n sweet.
nairb247 and others...you can claim to believe in the same Christ as Christians but it ain't so. Jesus wasn't married, he is ALSO God (there's this little thing called the Trinity), he is not just a prophet (like me), etc. Stop drinking the LDS Kool-Aid.
Check out this reference if you want to see about the Mormon belief that Christ was married: Journal of Discourses 2:82. It's official, the LDS "church" is off the rails.
I love how Mormons freeze in their tracks and their eyes roll back into their heads when they are presented with facts.
Then you are ignorant. NIce, but clueless about what Mormons believe. If you wouldn't vote for a qualified candidate based on religion, then you are also intolerant.
Sorry Joe, you can say whatever you want but you are not correct. But have fun going and finding all your doctrine to prove it, I know it just irks you to have a Mormon say that they believe in the same Jesus that you do, that is what makes it so fun. Your venom towards a religion is purely "Christlike" now isn't it?
Proof positive that religious bigotry is alive and well, hidden under the guise of a "not-conservative-enough" litmus test.
try, evenkeel, to distinguish between bigotry, and folks voting for folks with similar values. Every religion is proud of its distinctions from all others, Joseph Smith broke with Christianity, yet his followers claim the label he rejected, so there is some unfortunate confusion, and no harm in helping with the clarifications.
Try, TheMagnus, to distinguish between choosing a candidate with similar values and voting against one who does not share your narrow view of which religion God has blessed. As an active Mormom, Romney is, I would wager, far more "conservative" than any of the other GOP candidates in the race. Voting against him though he shares your values seems a lot like bigotry to me.
@evenkeel.. Exactly.. There has been numerous studies over time that has shown that LDS (Mormons) are far more conservative than most Evangelical Christians, yet they are also far more tolerant of differing views.. This is where the bigot mindedness of many Born Agains seems to manifest itself. As for the other canidates, it seems Newt changes his religion as often as he changes wives.. As for Santorum, how conservative is he when he reaches out to the democrats to vote for him??? And democrats voted for him, not because the beleive in Santorum, but that they believe Obama will walk all over him in the general election.. A vote for Santorum is a vote for Obama.. Evangelicals who care about values need to wake up and get real..
I think the concern is that the LDS church believes there is a White Horse Prophecy, which predicts the LDS church will rule the USA via theocracy
Joe you seem like a bright person, but you are really really ignorant. Keep trying though.