Osteen: Romney is a Christian
(CNN) - Famed pastor Joel Osteen reiterated his position that Mitt Romney is a Christian on Tuesday, saying as long as the likely GOP presidential nominee believes that Jesus is the Son of God then he subscribes to the Christian faith.
"When I hear Mitt Romney say that he believes that Jesus is the Son of God–that he's the Christ, raised from the dead, that he's his Savior–that's good enough for me," Osteen said in an interview to air on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer."
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While Osteen described the Mormon faith as "not traditional Christianity," he said he believes Mormons fall under the Christian tent.
"Mormonism is a little different, but I still see them as brothers in Christ," the pastor argued.
Romney's faith has largely remained an outlier in this presidential cycle, though some have expressed skepticism at the likely Republican nominee's religious views.
A leading Baptist pastor in Dallas, for example, made headlines in October when he urged Republicans to vote against Romney, saying voters should elect what he called a Christian, not a Mormon. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints identify themselves as Christians.
More recently, some students at the evangelical Liberty University have taken issue with Romney being tapped to deliver the school's commencement address in May.
Recent polls, however, show a majority of Americans are open to having a Mormon as president.
Romney is not the only one who has taken heat over his faith. Polls have shown a small minority of Americans have questioned whether President Barack Obama is a Christian.
Countering the speculation, Osteen said Tuesday he has spent time with the president and has no doubt about his faith.
"I believe with all my heart that he's a Christian, as he says he is," Osteen said.
Watch the full interview HERE
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Desperately seeking relevance.
What does one's religious affiliation have to do with qualifications to be President?
Osteen say all type of whacko things. reminds on that simpson episode when everybody thought mr burns was an alien. Remember his voice? thats how Osteen is. Seems to be sedated all the time. Mormons and Christians are two different things. They dont believe in GOD. So they can claim Jesus as much as they want, but if they dont believe that God is the only God, then exactly what good does Jesus do? Like Joseph Cronin said, they believe they will one day be Gods. If you actually read the Bible, it teaches about false teachers/prophets that will preach a different version of Jesus. And that aint Jesus. So they can put that version of Jesus in their church name, but it dont make them CHRISTIAN. Apart from that, religion shouldnt stop you from being president.
Does Rev. Osteen believe President Obama when President Obama says he's a Christian?