Mitt Romney is getting the Catholic treatment

[bottomofthehill]

For years southern Christian's would say that the northeast Catholics were not really Christian, well now they are doing the same thing to Mittins. I love it when they eat their own.

From US NEWS I think

The Mormon Thing: The Sniping Begins
A nasty little whispering campaign is targeting likely 2008 presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, the Republican Massachusetts governor. Those who've heard it won't identify the source, other than to quote "Christian leaders," but say it focuses on Romney's Mormonism and whether evangelicals will vote for a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "The thrust is that he's not a real Christian. He's a Mormon," says our tipster. Mormons have heard it all before and say again: They're Christian.

[Missy M]

1. Wouldn't it be great to have a presidential election and no one knew...

what any of the candidates religious affiliates or religious views were. We could then all concentrate on the business of the country and not the business of the churches. We must leave religion out of government to keep this country intact.

[Sandpiper]

2. Southern Evangelicals believe the Mormons are a satanic cult

And hold them in slightly higher regard than child molestors.

It would take the political coup of the century for Mittens to win them over.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

3. Southern evangelicals believe everyone not including themselves

are in a satanic cult. Zealots, the lot of them.

[Sandpiper]

4. Zealots indeed, but they're especially vitriolic about Mormons...

Jehovah's Witnesses, and Freemasons.

[noonwitch]

5. I actually think there is some cult-like aspects to Mormonism

I read a book recently called "Leaving The Saints", written by the daughter of a Mormon scholar/apologist (Hugh Nibley). It's very interesting, not just the allegations she makes about her father, but the whole lifestyle. She also discusses how when she and her husband left the church, the pressure that was put on them by their local wards and leaders. They had to leave their jobs, too since both were employed at BYU.

The "garment" thing is weird (Mormon Underoos), but Scientology is far stranger than Mormonism.

But a whole lot of other religions have cult-like aspects. The author's description of the community values in Salt Lake City read like a description of Grand Rapids, Michigan, the evangelical-dominated community in which I grew up in. And these are not all bad things-she discusses how she and her husband returned to SLC after finding out she was carrying a child with downs. All their friends and associates in Boston advised her to get an abortion and couldn't understand why she wouldn't. She said she knew that the Mormons would understand and support her decision. People in Grand Rapids would be similarly supportive in the same situation.