Beliefs influenced decisions in voting booth

snidever@HanfordSentinel.com

This presidential election is getting a lot of buzz because Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are the first black and the first woman to get this close to the White House.

But another first -- Mitt Romney being the first serious Mormon presidential contender until he quit a few weeks ago -- also put a spotlight on the question of how religious faith influences political decisions.

Pew Research Center data from 2007 indicated that 27 percent of Americans across the board are "less likely" to vote for a Mormon, compared to 12 percent reluctant to vote for a woman and 6 percent less likely to vote for a black.

"There are people today who won't vote for somebody because she's a woman, because he's an African American, because he's a Mormon," said Kathy Barberich, spokeswoman for the Hanford stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Hanford stake includes 3,000 Mormons in Kings County and surrounding areas.

Barberich noted Mormon politicians who are Democrats and Republicans -- among them Harry Reid, the Nevada senator and Senate majority leader in Washington, D.C.

"It's a good thing that someone has a religious faith of some kind," Barberich said.

Many local Christians said that although they have theological problems with Mormonism, that's not a litmus test in deciding whether to vote for a candidate.

"To my mind, it's not a theological decision. It's not a theocracy by any means. From a moral perspective, Christians and Mormons have a lot in common," said Jeff Acton, outreach pastor at Koinonia Christian Fellowship.

Acton declined to state who he voted for.

Martha Bentley, a member of First Presbyterian Church Hanford who described herself as a "lifelong Democrat," said that as a Christian she would have found it hard to vote for Romney.

"It just seems to me that their beliefs are very different from most mainstream Christians," she said.

Bentley voted for Clinton on Feb. 5, but is wavering between Clinton and Obama.

Eric Pearson, pastor of Calvary Christian Center in Hanford, also thinks Mormonism has theological problems, but he said he liked Romney as a candidate.

"Mormons hold to the same values I do," he said.

Andrew Cromwell, Koinonia executive pastor, said that he'd probably vote for a Baptist over a Mormon "all other things being equal," but added this: "There's such a thing as bad Christian people and good Christian people. The Mormons in general are known for being wholesome people of character who have integrity and morals."

Still, most commentators believe that Romney's inability to secure support among evangelical Christians was a factor in his downfall.

Mike Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister, has benefited from evangelical support in many primaries. He survives as a Republican presidential candidate largely on the strength of an evangelical Christian voting bloc.

But that doesn't necessarily mean that local Christians are jumping on the Huckabee bandwagon. Some liked his ideas, some were neutral and some were just plain leery.

"I don't trust this guy as far as I can throw him," said Koinonia member Carol McCain.

She voted for Romney despite some qualms about his Mormonism, calling him the "lesser of three evils" among McCain, Huckabee and Romney.

Huckabee himself is evidence of a certain split in the Republican Party between people who say they are guided explicitly by their Christian faith and those who are less interested in religious motivation.

Some of Huckabee's positions -- his talk of stewardship of the environment and his expression of concern for the poor, for example -- rub conservative Republicans the wrong way and in fact sound themes common on the Democratic side.

Huckabee has said that his faith "defines" him.

"I've heard guys stand up in the pulpit and say you can't be a Christian and vote Republican, and I've heard guys stand up in the pulpit and say you can't be a Christian and vote Democratic. It's crazy," said Pearson, adding that he doesn't tell people which party to support.

"I think it's silly to say that our brothers in the African American community that identify with the Democratic Party are non-Christian," Cromwell said.

Bentley said she's puzzled by the attempt to link conservative ideology with Christianity.

She identifies more with Democratic issues "mainly on caring for the poor and social programs."

"I just think some of the oil companies and the millionaires have been rewarded at the expense of some of the people who really need help," she said.

The Rev. Michael Moore, pastor at St. Brigid Catholic Church in Hanford, had no problem criticizing Republicans while indicating that he doesn't see how a Christian can vote for "someone who supports legalized abortion."

Republicans, he said, need to be "more caring of people who are less privileged."

"Their stance on immigration just seems to be irrational and showing a lack of charity," he said.

Christians who have allied themselves very closely with the Republican Party may be disappointed that the election of Ronald Reagan didn't produce the national renewal they were hoping for, Pearson said.

"There's been an automatic assumption that God has a certain opinion, and we can be made to vote that way," he said.

"Ultimately, the hope for the world is the church, it's not in the ballot box," he said.

Still, nearly all the Christians interviewed said that it's impossible for them to separate their faith from political decisions.

"You should be informed in every way by your faith," said Cromwell.

But Cromwell believes other considerations should also motivate Christians who go to the ballot box and serve in elected office.

"We live in a secular society. If elected, we are elected to represent more than just Christians," he said.

Rev. Moore said he disagreed with people who wouldn't vote for a Mormon.

"We don't form society to favor one religion over another. The important thing is, what kind of society is this candidate going to promote?"

Many said that Christianity cannot be reduced to a certain set of political positions.

Pearson said he can't tell Christians how to vote because to do so would be to "declare to them their right standing with God."

Louise LauLetta, a member of First Presbyterian Church Hanford, agreed.

LauLetta said she objected to "having religion shoved down my throat" in politics.

She said that a decision to vote against somebody because they are Mormon is "close-minded."

"What if we put a Jew up there? Are they going to object because he's not a Christian?" she said.

"If he's virtuous according to his religion -- whatever it is -- I believe that should be the deciding factor of that man's value," she said.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2432.

(Feb. 23, 2008)