Mormon or Morals: Do Denominations Matter in Today’s Political Scene?

"Are Mormons Christians?"

This question is, unfortunately, not unfamiliar to most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Despite a Christ-centered theology, certain doctrines that differentiate Latter-day Saints from our Christian brothers and sisters also cause us to, well, not be considered Christians or brothers and sisters by them.

Thanks to evangelical minister Rev. Robert Jeffress, that debate has come to the forefront yet again in the race for the 2012 Republican nomination. While introducing Texas Gov. Rick Perry last week, Jeffress said evangelical voters should support a "true Christian" - and that would rule out Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, Jr., since Jeffress denounced Mormonism as a "cult."

Numerous articles and editorials denouncing Jeffress's narrow-minded views have run on major news sites this week, with Latter-day Saints being defended by everyone from the president of the evangelical Fuller Theological Seminary to a Muslim comedian to a Jewish Los Angeles Times columnist. Amid these responses, several writers raised the same question I'd ask: should a candidate's religious belief matter in today's political arena? Aren't candidates' morals, values, and actions better gauges of their hearts than what church - or synagogue or mosque - they attend (or don't)?

In looking to weigh in on this issue, I turned to two of my personal favorites - Michael Medved, who hosts a top-rated conservative talk radio show, and his equally brilliant wife, psychologist Dr. Diane Medved. I had the good fortune to intern for The Michael Medved Show in 2003, and it was time spent with the Medveds in their beautiful Seattle-area home that initiated my love of Jewish faith and culture.

The Medveds agreed that it is a candidate's track record, not his or her theology, that matters in the election. While theology can sometimes provide a glimpse of one's moral code, the two aren't necessarily synonymous.

"I personally believe America is uniquely blessed-at least partially because of the sincere devotion of so many Americans to their faiths," Diane Medved said. "As far as a presidential candidate-you evaluate the candidate and his record; his belief system as it has played out/influenced his performance in office.

"We have track records of the candidates to focus on-the person's religious belief is personal, private and irrelevant UNLESS it has interfered with the execution of his duties," she continued. "VALUES are another question-we WANT our representatives to have distinct values we can discuss, evaluate and will inform their actions."

As a non-Christian conservative, Michael Medved balked at Jeffress's implication that only an evangelical Christian is a suitable candidate for president. After all, according to Pew Research Center, only 26.3 percent of Americans are evangelical Christians.

"If you are going to have a political party that says ‘evangelicals only welcome,' you are doomed not only to minority status but to permanent irrelevancy," Michael Medved said.

Regarding the "Are Mormons Christians" question, he continued, "That's up to God to decide, isn't it? Or is this really part of what we should be deciding when we choose someone to vote for as president of the United States?... I care much more about a man's character, and everything I see about Mitt Romney indicates a person of fine character. Isn't that the real point?"

I agree. People should be evaluated on the content of their character - not race, not religion, not gender, not socio-economic status. What do they do with their time? Do they show integrity in their actions? Do they support the same causes that matter to me? Is their perspective on the Constitution and the law in line with mine? Then that's who I should support for office.

And that works both ways. While I think it's awesome to see two fellow Latter-day Saints in the race, I won't default to supporting either simply because we share the same faith.

As for what Mormons represent, Diane Medved summed it up best: "For me, despite having disagreements (of course!) with Mormon belief/theology, I find Mormons (generally) to be upstanding, moral, charitable, straightforward people who sincerely believe their faith. What better neighbors and citizens could anyone possibly want? And their emphasis on family is exactly the counterbalance to hyper-sexed, narcissistic, materialistic media content that our nation absolutely NEEDS to stay sane and even to maintain the course of the founders."

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