But Fr. John Neuhaus reminds us Catholics why Romney's religious beliefs shouldn't be as much of a barrier as it might be for some others:
Few Catholics believe that a candidate is disqualified by being a Mormon. The reason is obvious: Catholics are accustomed to having heretics in the White House. Jews likewise are not offended that the president is not one of their own. This is and always has been a dominantly Protestant country. With the exception of JFK, who, sad to say, was not much of a Catholic, Catholics are accustomed to having presidents who are, in their view, religiously wrongheaded. Evangelicals, by way of contrast, are accustomed to thinking of America as a Christian nation, meaning a Protestant nation. For many who lack a fully developed ecclesiology, America is something very much like their church. You don’t want a heretic as the head of your church.
It's true, we've had to put up with leaders espousing beliefs in various rebellious and schismatic interpretations of the Faith forever. Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists. Egad, even some Unitarians, a Quaker and a Jehovah's Witness! A Mormon seems to fit right in with this crowd. I guess we should just be glad he isn't a Lutheran.
Few Catholics believe that a candidate is disqualified by being a Mormon. The reason is obvious: Catholics are accustomed to having heretics in the White House. Jews likewise are not offended that the president is not one of their own. This is and always has been a dominantly Protestant country. With the exception of JFK, who, sad to say, was not much of a Catholic, Catholics are accustomed to having presidents who are, in their view, religiously wrongheaded. Evangelicals, by way of contrast, are accustomed to thinking of America as a Christian nation, meaning a Protestant nation. For many who lack a fully developed ecclesiology, America is something very much like their church. You don’t want a heretic as the head of your church.
It's true, we've had to put up with leaders espousing beliefs in various rebellious and schismatic interpretations of the Faith forever. Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists. Egad, even some Unitarians, a Quaker and a Jehovah's Witness! A Mormon seems to fit right in with this crowd. I guess we should just be glad he isn't a Lutheran.
The Elder Chides: For less-jaded residents of Minnesota with a sense of civic responsibility who are able to forgo watching a rerun of "Boston Legal" while eating a block of cheese in their underwear for ONE NIGHT (unlike Saint Paul), I would encourage you to turn out on February 5th, 2008 and attend your precinct caucus. Here's a handy guide with all the relevant details. It's easy, it's interesting, and your participation is a part of fulfilling your civic duty to this little democratic society we're trying to run here.
By the way, my alternative title for this post would be "Saint Paul Thinks Romney's The Bomb."
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