CNN

If Native Americans and Latinos vote for Romney, I wonder if God will turn their skin white as a reward, like the Book of Mormon promises? Go to any search engine and enter the words: Mormon, Indian, skin, white. If you're okay with the idea that God "curses" people with dark skin and "blesses" them with light skin, then Romney (who says he believes what the Book of Mormon teaches) would be your man.

Racism by any other name is still racism.

I realize that my opinion is just my opinion and probably won't make any difference to what anyone else thinks. But, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

1) Mormons are Christians. Anyone who says differently is misinformed.

2) Our church does not endorse candidates. We believe that everyone has a right to choose for themselves.

If you must make comments, do your research. I realize that it's not easy to find unbiased information, but I think most people agree it's important.

Be careful to use sources that are credible before you form prejudices.

We do not believe in tearing down any religion, even if we do not fully agree with it. Our focus is on improving ourselves and the world around us, not disproving others' beliefs.

My hope is that even though people may not understand our faith, they will at least be respectful. That's all we can expect.

I neither endorse nor denounce Mitt Romney, but I do not think his religion should be an obstacle to his election.

Someone from Idaho stated that Mormons in his area have been involved in unethical practices and have violated federal hiring laws, among other things.

I am a Mormon, and I would strongly encourage this person to report these actions to the proper authorities.

In addition, I would also ask for this persons' forgiveness of our tresspasses. We also make mistakes, and are grateful for the possibility of repentance through Jesus Christ.

If people do not want to vote for Mitt Romney for President, that is their God given right and a blessing of living in this free nation.

I am more concerned about the continual attacks (by some) against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Did you know:

That the church Christ established in the New Testament was regarded to be a "sect" and that "everywhere it was spoken against"? (Acts 28:22)
Joseph Smith advocated that blacks should be set free from slavery?
Mormon's were the first to promote women's right to vote?
There was a book written by a non-Mormon anthropologist (He Walked the Americas). Her studies reveal that many Indian tribes have legends of Jesus coming to visit them.
Polygamy was practiced in the Bible (see Gen 29:21-30; Gen 30:3-4; Gen 30:9; 2 Chron 13:21; 2 Chro 13:8-12; Gen 16:3; Gen 25:6; Gen 25:1). Hagar was even told by an angel to return to unto Abraham (Gen 16:7-11).
Mormons gave up the practice in the 1800s. Anyone who engages in this is excommunicated or does not belong to our faith.
The DNA issue has been addressed on fairlds.org.
A study of wordprints by a Momon and two non-Mormons at UC Berkley revealed that it is "statistically indefensible" to claim that Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery or any single author wrote the 30,000 words in the Book of Mormon.
The writing structure in the Book of Mormon contains many chaiastic structures, which are similar to the writings of the Essenes on the Dead Sea Scrolls.

I can honestly say I understand why some people do not understand us. Much has to do with the continual assertion that we are not Christians.

Without attacking the beliefs of others, our view is that God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost are separate beings. We have this line of reasoning because, when Christ was baptized on the earth, God's voice was heard from Heaven and the Holy Ghost descended like a dove. Jesus also prayed to God. When Stephen was being stoned, he saw a vision of God and Jesus standing on the right side of God (Acts 7:55). We also believe Christ has a resurrected body. Jesus himself said "Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have" (Luke 24:39). Please note that these scriptures come from the Bible, not the Book of Mormon.

I share this not to convince you, but to simply ask for your understanding of where we are coming from. I would also ask for the respect of those of those of any other faith.

At one point, Pastor Wilton states "This is not a conversation about a person, it is about a religion that drives a person to do what he does."

What does Mormonism drive people to do? Pastor Wilton answers his own question: "The people of the Mormon religion are very highly astute, highly family-oriented, deeply character-driven people."

And yet, he says "Mormonism does make me nervous, because I am a Christian, and because the precepts and principles, and more importantly, the practices of Mormonism have cause for great concern."

Without trying to cast stones, doesn't this seem a little contradictory?

I’ve seen a lot of comments on here saying something like this: “Look at Romney’s faith, it is obviously wrong and fails it to stand up to historical facts, science, or reason. Therefore Romney is not fit to lead the country if he would believe something that stupid”.

Let me point out one very important fact. Before you show all the reasons and evidence that Mormonism is false and the Book of Mormon is lunacy, you should consider that much of America is Christian. In fact our country was founded on Christian beliefs, which are just as difficult to swallow. Let me give you a few examples.

Christians believe that a snake talked to Adam and Eve and told them to eat some evil fruit. Hasn’t science amply proven that snakes are incapable of speech and could never talk? What about the bible’s claim that the earth is only 7,000 years old? Or that the world was made in 7 days? It claims the entire earth was submerged in water, people rise from the dead and resurrect, giants used to roam the Earth. These are all proven to be flat out wrong… and don’t even get me started about evolution.

I am a little irked when I see atheists bashing on religion. Let the poor people believe what they want. It does us no harm. But I am even more troubled when a Christian turns around and bashes on the poor Mormons. Their Christian religion doesn’t stand up to any scientific evidence or logical reasoning either! Talk about a double standard.

So before any of the Christians rip on the Mormon faith, before you make fun of the Book of Mormon or it’s golden plates, consider the fact that your religion looks equally laughable from the view of a non-Christian. Every time you level a criticism on the Mormons, you are only justifying the criticisms pointed at yourselves.

"name withheld upon request" and "nonmormon in mormonville" – sounds like you are one and the same person.

I am a non-mormon supporting Mitt Romney for President.

Anyone that believes that Romney's religious views will not interfere with his political views is an absolute idiot. Mormonism is not simply a religion – it's a lifestyle to those that follow it. Every decision he makes will be influenced by his religious beliefs.

Again, separation of church and state!

If people want to know the nature of Mormonism then read Acts 3 verses 19,20 and 21 and Isaiah 28 verse 12 regarding the term "refreshing" and then think about what you have read. What happens when you hit the refresh buttom on your computer. Does all the old come back with all that is new? The Mormon Church is a restoration by Jesus Christ of the Church Jesus Christ established almost 2000 years ago.

I am a nonmormon living in a mormon community. I have been called both a heathen and devil by co-workers. I was asked to assist with the preparation of mormon sunday school materials during business hours. I was asked not to recruit anyone with 'funny sounding names' and a co-worker was asked, in my presence, to only recruit mormons for high-level professional positions. Religious services – mormon only – are held on site. No other religious observences are made available. Based on what I've experienced personally in a community of mormon majority, I'm not sure the seperation of church and state would be upheld by a mormon president.

I live in a town in Idaho that is 97% mormon. Locals fully expect Romney will indeed use his position as president to advance mormon agenda. I work for a county-owned institution that is pretty much run on mormon tennents, and have been personally asked to violate federal law in hiring practices. If Romney plans to practice true mormonism as president, the practice of his faith may supercede federal law and bring discrimination to women; those things happen here as local mormons practice their faith. I'd hate to see that played out on a national level

IF MR. ROMNEY BECOMES PRESIDENT THEN I AM GOING TO BECOME MORMON. IF SOMEONE IS SMART ENOUGH TO BE PRESIDENT, THEN HIS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ARE PROBABLY CORRECT

I think it's both shameful and shortsighted that anyone professing to belong to an enlightened Christian belief system would feel the need to even consider supporting a candidate whose faith teaches that God endorses racism. The Book of Mormon very clearly teaches that God caused a "dark and loathsome" skin color to come over the "Lamanites" (whose descendants are modern Indians and Latinos) because of their "iniquity", so that the fair-skinned "Nephites" would not want to intermingle with them. Those thus "cursed" with a dark skin then receive a "promise" from the Book of Mormon, however, that their descendants who embrace Mormonism in the latter days and become righteous would one day again see their skin become "white and delightsome". Since their troubled beginnings Mormons have evolved into a respectable group that espouses clean living, strong family values, etc, but the background teachings that God condones racism are still there, and any Latter-day Saint who considers themself to be a committed believer MUST accept them. Could this be one of the reasons Romney doesn't encourage open discussion about the details of his faith? I don't expect anyone to take my word for this - go to any search engine and type in the words: Mormon, skin, white, Indian. Read what you find, and then decide whether a candidate's religion should matter whether he is electable to the office of President of the United States.

Why is it that the one church claimed not to be Christian, is the only Church with a picture of Jesus Christ on their official home page?
http://www.lds.org

Check out your denominations official website and ask yourself why Christ isn't front and center there?

Shawnie Cannon, Grants Pass OR :

If you thought the quote was out of context, you could have easily put it into context. Instead you just decided not too??

Mormons believe blacks are inferior. They believe the white race is superior – read their literature!

This is why he should not, cannot be President of a multi-cultural nation. He either believes in his faith or he doesn't.

His religion is relevant because of that reason.

Romeny's faith is not an issue with me, but will not vote for him anyway.

Reading this article and these comments reminds me of why I don't spend much time on CNN. I agree with the people who have commented on the questionable authority/validity of this poll. Another poor job by CNN.

Even more disturbing, however, is the ignorance of the comments on here. To say that faith cannot dispute "fact" is to show a major lack of the understanding of your all-powerful "science." Today the earth is flat, the next it's round. "Facts" have told faith that it is irrational for centuries, and if one was to fashion his faith to the so-called facts, he would be left with nothing at all.

I'm sure all the people who have benefitted from his business genius did not think "Well maybe we shouldn't hire his firm because he believes that Native Americans are the decendants of the Jews, and that shows a general irrational thought process." And it's a good thing, too, that they saw his skill, intelligence, charisma, leadership, and decision making ability.

If you could make decision more like the business world and less like the true biggot you are, then you would be much more successful. Same goes for the United States of America.

Romney's faith should never have been an issue in the first place, but it is very pleasing to see that "a vast majority of Americans say Mitt Romney’s faith will not be a factor in their decision on whether to vote for him."

Romney is NOT running for president because he is a Mormon. He is running for president because he loves our country, the one who has great vision for the future of America.

He will be one GREAT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

I agree Kate Lee, it is concerning that most people do not know the basic facts about Mormonism. Like you for instance.

It is not true that Mormons believe that Jesus came from outer space, it is not true that a woman cannot be saved unless her husband calls her forth (Mormons actually believe that neither a man nor a woman can be saved without being married, its a two way street) its also not true that a "man, not a woman" can become like god, Mormons believe that men and women both become exalted together and in an equal partnership. You may believe its weird but at least its not sexist. And finally, it is absolutely, positively not true that money gets you into the temple. And by the way there's not just one in salt lake, there's over 110 all over the world and the rules are the same for all of them.

And just to pose a quick answer to the other uninformed statements about the Mormon faith:

-DNA evidence doesn't disprove the Book of Mormon because Mormons believe the individuals who traveled to the Americas were a small tribe amongst an already existing population and at the end of the Book they were almost all killed off. So even a basic knowledge of the contents of the Book of Mormon should tell you there's no reason DNA evidence would show anything one way or the other.

-Mormons don't wear "magic pajamas" they wear garments under their clothing that remind them of the promises they've made to God. They aren't magic, they don't offer physical protection, they're like an Islamic woman's Hajab or a Catholic's cross. People can respect those marks of faith, why is this different?

-Mormons do not believe that people of African descent are inferior in any way whatsoever. Members of the church probably made statements to that effect some 70-100 years ago, when pretty much every white person in America believed those kinds of things, but Mormons have progressed with the rest of the country and believe nothing of the sort now.

-The Mormon church doesn't tell its politicians what to do. The LDS church has a strict "no comment" policy on 99% of political issues. Harry Reid is a Mormon, and one of the highest leaders of our church who recently passed away used to be the head of the Utah democratic party. The leadership of the church doesn't even have homogeneous political beliefs, how could they have an agenda?

Really, is Mormonism any weirder than mainstream Christianity? I mean Joshua stopping the sun by holding up his hands, the earth being only 6,000 years old, people living for 900 years, a flood that covers the entire earth, talking donkeys, etc etc etc. Please.

And people, if you want to know something about Mormonism, go somewhere besides MormonsAreFreaks.com. These bizarre claims are getting pretty tiresome.

And finally, don't not vote for Romney just because he's Mormon. If you cast your vote for someone else, do it because Romney's a flip-flopper, has no personality, and worst of all, he's a Republican. Vote for Obama.

DUH. You vote for the presidential candidate who best represents your values. Who cares what church the person attends.

Posted By JT, Ada OK : October 18, 2007 6:33 pm

Perfectly put JT.

Religion is based on faith, and faith is "belief without evidence." People with faith need to stop believing in fairy tales and need to come to grips with reality. Mor(m)onism is just as silly as any other religion!

Has anyone noticed that you never see Romney's name in a blog without it turning into a discussion about Mormonism, but it never comes up when in blogs about fellow Mormon Harry Reid? Interesting isn't it.

Should religion be an issue? Probably not; but it is. What concerns me is that most people do not know about Mormonism. They see the "family values" bit but do not know basic facts: that supposedly Jesus came from outer space; that a man, not a woman, may work his way up to being god (think Arianism); that a woman cannot be "saved" in the afterlife unless her husband calls her forth; that,if she is saved, she gets to spend eternity pregnant with spirit children (one thinks of Islam and the virgins granted to the martyrs); that some, but not all, believers may enter the temple in Salt Lake (money gets you in). Mormonism, like Islam, is a man's religion. Unfortunately, most people don't take the time to learn.

Cult, these people are nuts. I hope their magic underware will save them.
This guy is really scares me. Empty suit with a great vocie that says nothing

"If a Christian is defined as someone who believes in the Bible and only the Bible, then no, I guess then Mormons do not qualify."

Yes, because why should we allow God to say another word?

Saddened from Tampa Florida:

You took that Book of Mormon scripture out of context and that is your methodology, put in the whole verse in context with the rest of the story – it is NOT about black vs whites.

Your are spreading falseness.

As a previous Methodist and convert later in life to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I have to say that the Christ I worshiped then IS the same Christ I worship now. Absolutely, no different. I still keep in contact with my Methodist Sunday School teacher from my childhood and adore her. She set the foundation for the same Christ I worship today. Those that say otherwise are simply misinformed, and I believe purposely so in many cases. I expect that most that support this view have never even stepped into an LDS church or devoted any serious time to any reading other than anti-Mormon literature which typically selectively chooses controversial issues and uses quotes taken out of context to support mis-leading half truths. I am grateful that those of faiths other than mine have faith in their lives and in particular a belief in Christ. It is however hard for me to understand why members of other faiths attack my faith. I have no interest in attacking theirs. I have no problem with others investigating my church, in fact I invite it. However judging a candidates worthiness to serve as President of the United States based on his faith is disturbing when we consider separation of Church and state. But if you are going to use that for your criteria you better do it for all of the candidates and to the same degree. I think what you find may surprise you. From what I have seen so far, many talk the talk but I’m not convinced they walk the walk. By the way, I will not vote for a candidate simply because he is a Mormon. Harry Reid for example is a Mormon and I strongly disagree with his views. I will vote for the candidate that I think will do the best job based on his track record and my perception on who will do the best job for the country. At this point I am undecided, but have to admit that Mitt is pretty impressive.
Posted By Brian, Gloucester, VA : June 18, 2007 9:30 pm

Mormons are like any other humans...

we have the same basic needs and ideals,we can be complex and thinking Americans, we have to make choices everyday, thousands of them,just like everyone else... we are not mindless, brainwashed zombies. We can choose to live the tenets of the church or not. More and more the media is not portraying us in a stereo typical way. Mitt Romney's Mormonism is essential to his political authenticity and of course some will find parts of our heritage different than other Christian faiths. However we do believe that Christ is our personal savior and we can declare that just as boldly as other Christian Demonination members do. We have been doing it for years and did not "steal" the idea from other religious leaders.
Voters need to decide if Mitt's bio works for them. Mitt Romney was a good kid growning up, didn't give his parents grief,an eagle scout, served a faithful and hard mission for his church, married his high-school sweetheart, raised five boys on the value of hard work and family values, he is still faithful to the woman he made the marriage committment to, graduated from Harvard, ran a hugely successful company while in the meantime, devoted hundreds of hours as a Mormon bishop and then Stake President, which entails helping people through family, financial and spiritual problems 24/7... without knowing all the details of this part of his life... I would bet that he had people he didn't know well sleeping at his house, that he gave people plenty of money out of his pocket, food to eat, clothing for their children, this is what bishops and stake presidents do.. only the kindest, most compassionate members through revelation are called to have these special callings. When was the last time that such a humble servant of humanity would have the "guts" to submit himself and his family to the ridicule and stress of running for president? Our county has everything to gain from his experiences, he can administer to the highest of high and the lowest of lows. He has been there, he has already done it.

Yes, it should not be an issue. It is only for bigots. And I see 40% don't know what they're talking about by saying they aren't Christian. They worship the same Jesus in the New Testament as them so I have to wonder if they are truly Christian.

Mitt is RIGHT. Mormonism should NOT be an issue.

There are plenty of OTHER reasons to fear this right-wing nut job.

Swift Boat Vets for Truth!!!

Posted By James, Phoenix AZ : October 19, 2007 9:39 am

-–

Another great post by fake-James. Good job, CNN!!

As a Mormon, I'm torn. A timy part of me wants him to do well in the election because it will show that my church is more accepted. Most of me wants him to fall on his face because he's a smileball.

I wouldn't vote for you no matter what you are!

It will be an issue to me as bridge collapsing in massachusetts!

I don't care what religon you are as long as you obey the law

Mitt is RIGHT. Mormonism should NOT be an issue.

There are plenty of OTHER reasons to fear this right-wing nut job.

Swift Boat Vets for Truth!!!

I find this fascinating because simply as a matter of definition–Mormons are not Christians. Personally I do not care, but I question the agenda of a poll that does not ask the same participants, "Would you vote for a candidate that is not Christian?" Because the results of this poll do not suggest the obvious fact here–that is evidently most people do not understand that it is really not an opinion whether or not Mormons are Christian, because they just aren't. Then again...maybe that is the point...which is good news for Romney.

you're right, people need to be nicer towards all religions of the world. besides, having a mormon for president would be better than what we have now. a MORON!

Being Mormon is his biggest problem but not the only one.People can say anything in a poll but once the get into the voting booth then will not vote for a Mormon.

It's nice to see people are being more tolerant of others religions. Mormons are great people.

It would be a problem for me.

Just which of the hundreds of different denominations and tens of thousands of different congregations within "Christianity" are in fact "truly Christian?"

Isn't the LDS Church simply another denomination of the very diverse and very different denominations of Christianity?

Amazing that such a huge portion of our voting population can be unaware of the Christian nature of Mormonism, yet can spout in infinite detail the latest about Survivor, Britney, NFL scores, or Paris Hilton...no wonder Bush was able to initially lie the public into supporting his invasion of Iraq...they were distracted by more "important" things.

We'll see how much that matters when Mitt "I was for it before I was against it" Romney doesn't win the nomination.

Mr. Richardson I don't hear you condemning Fidel Castro in Cuba. Here is a murderer that has been in power for the last 47 years and continues to violate human rights everyday and you have NOT SAID ONE WORD.
When are you or anyone from your party going to say something?

Weren’t the Mayflower, Civil War, Women’s rights, and Civil rights etc. all about giving people who are different a fair chance? It is great that Americans are becoming more and more accepting.

19% who do think it is an issue, like myself, is a lot of people. It is an issue because of the fact that Mormons have a track record of racism, polygamy, and are not true Christians. I will not vote for anybody who supports those ideals.

With two new figures of the Religious Right backing Romney today, he will likely continue to be able to deflect criticism over his religion.

I think the discussions about Gov Romney's Mormon faith are dissipating as people see him on tv shows talking about the issues. He is a fiscal expert who has experience handling budgets. He has become more conservative on social issues, which appeals to die-hard Republicans.

Its not....but being a right wing candidate is....if we brought in anyone but Giuliani...we would show that the party has not evolved....and that would be a sad day...(fortunately....it won't happen!) Giuliani 08!!

Excuse me but whoever is being surveyed isn't exactly telling the truth because no one will know what they will do in the booth.

Non-Mormons for the most part will not vote for a Mormon especially one that has flip flopped all over. LDS tells their candidates what to do. If you don't believe it, ask people in states that had Mormon candidates in the past or better yet ask people in the church who are told they have to donate to an LDS candidate by Church leaders.

The debate of "Are Mormons Christians?" is not the correct question. The correct question is this: "What makes a person a Christian?" Belief in God, belief in His Son Jesus Christ, belief in the Holy Ghost (or Holy Spirit, whichever you prefer). Belief in the Bible. Belief that salvation comes in and through Jesus Christ and in no other way. If this is the definition, then yes, Mormons are indeed Christians. If a Christian is defined as someone who believes in the Bible and only the Bible, then no, I guess then Mormons do not qualify.

The real issue is whether we want him to Lead this nation as he did in Massachusetts?

Every Person Reading this should review Romney’s track record at: http://www.Massresistance.org

We need a real Patriot like Pete Grasso for 2008…

http://www.GrassoForPresident.com

OR download his FAQ (PDF Format) at:
http://www.grassoforpresident.com/Domains/grasso/Documents/GrassoForPresidentFAQ.pdf

It's still so sad to see that 19% of Americans would be less likely to vote for a candidate, solely because that candidate was Mormon.

It is true that we want someone who will uphold our values. And you know what? Romney will do that! He shares those good values! This is what matters here.

He's not running for Pastor-in-Chief!

Here in the Bay Area I've gotten to know many Mormons, and they are nothing but good colleagues, good neighbors, and good friends. Judging by my own research, Mr. Romney is no exception. Although I'm a registered Democrat, I'm considering voting for him.

I would say in Romney's situation it is a big issue. Not because he is a part of the LDS, but because he is not a faithful member of the church.

He isn't like most Mormons I have met. He twists his values whichever way the wind blows. He needed to appear more democratic when he ran for governor of Massachusetts. Now he is trying to appear conservative for the religous right. It's so false. He is like a used car salesman that would tell you anything to get you to buy into him. The Mormons are nothing like him. And if this is how he treats his faith, I wouldn't like to see how he would act as a president.

Telling it like I see it,
Wynter

It amazes me how many people are still in the dark when it comes to probably any religion. Certainly Mormonism is no exception.

So I guess that's not the reason he's trailing Rudy. What we need is separation of church and state.

CAN YOU SAY UNINFORMED?

I wait for the day when Americans are fed up with this unhealthy fanaticism with primitive evangelical religious beliefs. When I listen to politicians speaking about God, it leaves me uncomfortable that people really live their lives through fables. These people have their finger on the button. It doesn't matter if the religious fanatic believes in the christian or islamic fables of faith. The psychosis is the same.

From the book of Mormon – about blacks vs whites . . .

wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people, the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them. And thus saith the Lord God; I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people. . .(2 Nephi 5:21)

Had I anything to do with the negro, I would confine them by strict law to their own species.

(Joseph Smith, Jr, Founder of the Mormon Church)

So if the 'majority' says Mormonism is not an issue for them, that speaks volumes about what's in their hearts.

Thank goodness!

Just wait til he shows up to a debate wearing his magic pajamas. Then people will think differently. He also believes the US had it's own Jesus.

DUH. You vote for the presidential candidate who best represents your values. Who cares what church the person attends.

What percentage can tell you what LDS believe?
When they ask Mitt which Native American tribe Jesus visited, lots of people will be surprised.
If a Scientologist was running, they'd say the same thing, 'till they found out about the aliens...

I don't like him no matter what he is!

Ah – maybe you folks could tell us just _which_ area-codes were used, along with the call distribution?

I don't buy it..noone wants to appear bigotted but on election day, in the voting booth the person's true colors will shine...and they'll remember that Mormons wear magic underwear, believe Eden is in Utah, and was started by a scma artist..and thats when Romney will falter.

There is a reason he has to donate millions to his own campaign, in order to appear as if people don't mind it

It is foolish to believe a person's religion will determine how well they do as President. Obviously we have had very bad Presidents that were 'mainstream' denominations. I would personally like to see more openness to people running that were completely different religions and not just a slightly different one from normal.

Religion is a divisive force in American and world politics. However, to respectfully question how a candidate's religious beliefs might inform his or her decision making is not necessarily out of bounds religious intolerance.

Should a candidate’s religion influence how someone votes? Maybe. Would I vote for Mitt Romney? No. Is it because he is Mormon? No and yes. Here’s why:

The Mormon religion has taught for 175 years that the peoples indigenous to the American continents are descended from two groups of Jewish refugees who arrived by boat from the Middle East several hundred years prior to the birth of Christ. The introduction to the Book of Mormon states that these Semitic immigrants “…are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.” Please note that these are claims of historical fact, not faith.

In the view of modern scholarship, this is a clearly disprovable assertion. Respected scholars who study ancient American civilizations and cultures in the varied disciplines of archeology, anthropology, DNA, linguistics, etc. all firmly declare that the ancient Americans came to this continent from Asia; primarily from the area of what is today Mongolia. There is no evidence supporting the Mormon claim of Jewish ancestry for Native Americans and voluminous evidence debunking it. Charles Mann in his book 1491 gives an excellent overview of current thought regarding ancient American people and cultures. He addresses the ‘lost tribe’ theories and dismisses their proponents and as the “blind leading the blind” (pg 160).

So, how does voting for a President enter into the discussion of the ancestral origins of Native Americans? I assume the Mitt Romney accepts and supports this fundamental church teaching. To do so, he must disregard, reject, and/or discount all the contrary evidence presented by qualified, legitimate sources of information.

The ability to reject relevant evidence because it doesn’t support already held conclusions is not a quality I want the leader of my country. Willful ignorance and the adamant refusal to consider that previous conclusions might be wrong is cause for concern. Failing to consider all germane information has resulted in too many dead soldiers and the loss of respect for American policy and power around the world.

This is not an issue of true or false faith. Faith by its nature is not provable or disprovable. Faith, whatever its particulars, can do many positive things. Faith can provide comfort in difficult times and guidance in moral dilemmas. Faith, however, cannot alter facts.

When a Presidential hopeful accepts demonstrably false claims as historical fact (whether or not those claims are rooted in religious teaching), we must pause and consider if that person is the individual we want in the most powerful position of American leadership.

What would be really interesting is how many of those who polled negatively were Republicans, because it has been the Democrats who have made most of the nasty, anti-Mormon fuss. Since it's the Republicans who will vote for Romney anyway, what are there percentages? It is most likely even better.

Religion is for people who can't understand science. Science teaches that there are no absolutes, and that's also what the experience of life teaches me. If nature abhors a vacuum, then Intellect must abhor waste. The greatest waste of space in the universe is the universe. A logical god would have made everything easier and cosier; instead of harsh, dark, and cold.

Oh – are you, CNN, still using that SAME opinion poll of 1212 people that lead you to write the articles:

- Thompson fading, Hillary rising
- Hillary Trouncing Obama
- Americans want illegals to stay
- Americans want SCHIP

You found 1212 Pro-Hillary, Pro-Illegal Alien, Pro-free healthcare than aren't bigoted against Mormons.

How about some intellectual honesty on your OWN website – LIST THE SURVEY QUESTIONS and RESULTS!

Or would that be too revealing and hurt your "agenda"??

Well it certainly is for me. Any religion that tells you if you lead a wholesome life when you die you will rule a planet is a little off balance. I wouldn't want a president who actually thought like that. Let's not replace one nut with another.

Sure. If you're gullible enough to believe in one irrational superstition, why be bothered by a different irrational belief?

Secret tablets translated with a magic stone before floating up to heaven? A moral philosopher is executed for standing up to oppression and returns from the dead only in front of a few friends? An illiterate man gets the secret message of god from an angel (once again by himself) and promotes the spread of this good word by the sword?

What's the difference?

Oh, so it's a-ok to be Mormon in this country, but why in the hell is it not ok to be a Muslim or a Jew? People really need to start being nicer to other religions.