# 46% of Democrats Would Oppose Mormon President **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 8, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207 "2012-04-08T22:58:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/81 "2012-04-11T05:26:20Z")
I’m not sure how to unweasel my answer, as I would prefer not to vote for anyone of any religion if I could avoid it. So I suppose I might be called a religious bigot by some. But I don’t see Mormonism as particularly more or less delusional that any other faith, so I wouldn’t vote for or against one running against a candidate of some other crazy religion. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/82 "2012-04-11T06:03:50Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > On the other hand, if you have a lower opinion of Mormons than of someone else with similar views based just on the Mormon factor, the yes, the religion is the issue. I guess I get a pass then because I don’t care what label people fall under, if they think that black skin is a punishment from God for an ancestor’s sins, I wouldn’t vote for them. I wonder WHY anyone would be prejudiced against mormons for any reason other than their beliefs being disagreeable to them, it’s not like Mormonism is anything other than a belief system. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/83 "2012-04-11T06:39:25Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’m seeing a lot of weaseling in this thread. The issue boils down to this: would you be less likely to vote for a candidate _only_ because he or she is a Mormon? Would you prefer a candidate who is non-Mormon and agrees with you on most issues to a Mormon who agrees with you on a greater number of issues? No that is not the question. The question is Donald Trump says that he is considering becoming an independent candidate for President of the United States in 2012. Would you seriously consider voting for Donald Trump if he ran as an independent U.S. presidential candidate next year? _BEEP!_ Now that we’ve pissed half of you off, the second question is whether you would vote for a U.S. presidential candidate of the Mormon faith while cooking dinner? Press 1 for yes and press 2 for no. HELL NO! Ok now, what about an atheist? NO AND FEED THEM TO THE DOGS: LEAVE ME ALONE!!! So you would support an Aztec? **…** More seriously, the automated poll primed the audience with the specific name of an unpopular Republican before asking about “a U.S. presidential candidate of the Mormon faith”. It would be reasonable to think that the recorded voice was asking about Romney. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/84 "2012-04-11T14:36:46Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > I guess I get a pass then because I don’t care what label people fall under, if they think that black skin is a punishment from God for an ancestor’s sins, I wouldn’t vote for them. I agree, and it should be noted that other religions have taught things like this. The black skin thing is not something the Mormon church believes anymore. It was one of their famous politically expedient revelations just like the revelation that did away with church-sanctiosn polygamy. I am sure there are still Mormons who subscribe to the old racist view since there are definitely still a lot of Mormon polygamists. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/85 "2012-04-11T14:50:12Z")
I wonder if Mormons also hang the blame for original sin on women, as most Christian sects do? Possibly if you’re a back woman, you’re doubly screwed. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/86 "2012-04-11T15:31:35Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I wonder if Mormons also hang the blame for original sin on women, as most Christian sects do? Possibly if you’re a back woman, you’re doubly screwed. #2 “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam’s transgression.” [LDS articles of faith](http://lds.about.com/library/bl/primary/aa13_articles_of_faith.htm) So no. Blew my mind when I was sentenced to Catholic school (lasted one semester and got myself expelled) and they kept going on about this ridiculous “original sin” thing. Took a while to wrap my head around that one. Never did, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/87 "2012-04-11T15:41:13Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I wonder if Mormons also hang the blame for original sin on women, as most Christian sects do? Possibly if you’re a back woman, you’re doubly screwed. What if you’re a front woman? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/88 "2012-04-11T15:46:50Z")
I have a lot of experience with Mormons in the workplace. In terms of getting the job done, I would be prejudiced in favor of Mormons, if anything. These guys were pretty religious, but that never interfered with the work. In reality, it wouldn’t matter to me. I’d look at how the person stands on the issues, rather than what particular brand of religion they ascribed to. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/89 "2012-04-11T16:16:35Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > No that is not the question. The question is Donald Trump says that he is considering becoming an independent candidate for President of the United States in 2012. Would you seriously consider voting for Donald Trump if he ran as an independent U.S. presidential candidate next year? _BEEP!_ > > [snip] > > More seriously, the automated poll primed the audience with the specific name of an unpopular Republican before asking about “a U.S. presidential candidate of the Mormon faith”. It would be reasonable to think that the recorded voice was asking about Romney. Especially since, as you note, the immediately preceding question about Donald Trump specifically mentions the 2012 Presidential election. So a lot of Dems would vote No simply because they register the question as asking them if they’d vote for Mitt. Garbage in, garbage out. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/90 "2012-04-12T00:29:28Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The president of _what_ has “little power”? 😕 The USA, he is only one man and must have the support of a huge political machine to get anything done. We have seen presidents not get their way, I always wonder why they spend so much on electing themselves, is it for personal gain or ego? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/91 "2012-04-12T00:34:08Z")
The president can launch airstrikes, invasions and nearly any type of military attack without prior approval from anyone. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/92 "2012-04-12T00:57:18Z")
Most organized religions fall across a spectrum where one end tilts toward being a cult with serious problems dealing with reality. It’s no sin to say it would be irresponsible to vote for those on that end of the spectrum, and no sin to call out exactly who is on that side of the spectrum (Mormons and Scientologists, to name a couple). Rick Perry had it exactly right in calling out Mormons as being a deluded cult. It’s the only thing he had right. His only error is being oblivious that as an evangelical protestant, he’s just a couple of engraved golden tablets away from the same place on the spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/93 "2012-04-12T01:01:52Z")
> [@Cosmic Relief](#): > > Rick Perry had it exactly right in calling out Mormons as being a deluded cult. Perry didn’t (and wouldn’t) say Mormonism is a cult. A pastor said it at a Perry campaign event, and Perry didn’t disavow the comment because he assumed evangelical Christians would approve. When you consider the context, the statement becomes what marketing people call “puffery.” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/94 "2012-04-12T14:25:59Z")
On the cult/religion spectrum, I think Mormonism falls squarely on the “religion” side. I’d put Old Order Mennonite (Amish) on the cult list before LDS. To me, there has to be an element of coercion for something to be a “cult”. I see a lot more coercion in OOM than in LDS. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/95 "2012-04-12T14:53:12Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > On the cult/religion spectrum, I think Mormonism falls squarely on the “religion” side. I’d put Old Order Mennonite (Amish) on the cult list before LDS. To me, there has to be an element of coercion for something to be a “cult”. I see a lot more coercion in OOM than in LDS. I would argue the concepts of hell and damnation are elements of coercion, so do you throw most Christian sects onto the cult pile? I do, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/96 "2012-04-12T14:57:04Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I would argue the concepts of hell and damnation are elements of coercion, so do you throw most Christian sects onto the cult pile? I do, BTW. Then the term “cult” ceases to be a useful term and instead is just a synonym for “religion”. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/97 "2012-04-12T15:00:25Z")
No. There are religions without threats of hell and damnation for not following the rules. And even the Amish, which you point to as more coercive than Mormons, send their kids out onto the wide world for a time so they can experience and decide whether to return. How do you define coercion? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/98 "2012-04-12T15:11:48Z")
One of the classic elements of cultish behavior is attempting to seperate members from their friends and family - anything that ties them to their former life - and to only have contact with the cult. The cult controls as best it can their social connections and what information they have access to. You could make a long shot case that all religions do this to an extent, but not at all to the same degree as the stuff we all agree is a real cult. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/99 "2012-04-12T23:35:53Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > The president can launch airstrikes, invasions and nearly any type of military attack without prior approval from anyone. No he can’t. Do your research it is only a google away. While the power to declare war is constitutionally vested in Congress, the president commands and directs the military and is responsible for planning military strategy. So war must be approved by congress?:smack: Anyway maybe another topic… ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207/100 "2012-04-12T23:39:27Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > How do you define coercion? Preferably by demonstration . . . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/46-of-democrats-would-oppose-mormon-president/618207.md?page=6)