Comments on: This IS Interesting http://www.article6blog.com/2009/06/23/this-is-interesting/ "Religion, Politics, the Presidency: Commentary by an Evangelical Christian and A Mormon" Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:39:04 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: CarlH http://www.article6blog.com/2009/06/23/this-is-interesting/comment-page-1/#comment-13174 CarlH Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:51:48 +0000 http://www.article6blog.com/2009/06/23/this-is-interesting/#comment-13174 On the question of whether there is "room for Mormons," the just released results of a new <a href="http://people-press.org/report/524/republican-favorability" rel="nofollow">Pew Research poll</a> measuring "Favorability of Leading Republicans" are somewhat heartening. Notwithstanding a lot of hand-wringing, dead trees, and vapid commentary, Romney's positive-negative among Republican white evangelicals has climbed to 54-23 and among "all others" (Republicans) to 59-16. There is one glaring aspect of this poll--where's Huckabee? In a report on the Pew poll for <em>The Atlantic</em>, <a href="//politics.theatlantic.com/2009/06/sarah_palin_americas_top_republican.phptp://" rel="nofollow">Mark Ambinder</a> notes the exclusion and inserts results from a June 18 Public Policy Polling "automated poll" suggesting that Huckabee is way up there with Sarah Palin in his favorable ratings among Republicans. On the question of whether there is “room for Mormons,” the just released results of a new Pew Research poll measuring “Favorability of Leading Republicans” are somewhat heartening. Notwithstanding a lot of hand-wringing, dead trees, and vapid commentary, Romney’s positive-negative among Republican white evangelicals has climbed to 54-23 and among “all others” (Republicans) to 59-16.

There is one glaring aspect of this poll–where’s Huckabee? In a report on the Pew poll for The Atlantic, Mark Ambinder notes the exclusion and inserts results from a June 18 Public Policy Polling “automated poll” suggesting that Huckabee is way up there with Sarah Palin in his favorable ratings among Republicans.

]]> By: coltakashi http://www.article6blog.com/2009/06/23/this-is-interesting/comment-page-1/#comment-13172 coltakashi Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:09:48 +0000 http://www.article6blog.com/2009/06/23/this-is-interesting/#comment-13172 Mormons certainly include "Hispanics, blacks, young people, and women." Mormon women are actively engaged in volunteer leadership for adult women, teenagers, and children, and mobilize on short notice to help families hit by tragedies like illness and death. Because they get married earlier, and have larger families, Mormon demographics are skewed highly to youth (even with higher longevity attributed to avoidance of alcohol and tobacco), and those youth have been found to be strongly committed to their religious faith compared to their peers. Mormons are strongly represented in the US Hispanic community, served by Spanish-language congregations all over the US. The number of black Mormons is growing, with black Mormons leading congregations of all races, and it is not unusual for white Mormons to adopt black children (I have seen them in every congregation I have attended in recent years with people of child-rearing age). So if all Hispanics, blacks, young people and women are welcome in this new organization, there will have to be some Mormons there, too. Maybe middle-aged Asian-American Mormon veterans like me will also be welcomed. Seriously, any desire to build a broad-based coalition centered around a common cause of keeping American society safe for traditional moral values will have to open its doors to people of all religions, including Catholics, Mormons, Orthodox Jews, and Muslims. Reed and other leaders will need to remember that religious affiliation cuts across all lines of gender, age, and ethnicity. Mormons certainly include “Hispanics, blacks, young people, and women.” Mormon women are actively engaged in volunteer leadership for adult women, teenagers, and children, and mobilize on short notice to help families hit by tragedies like illness and death. Because they get married earlier, and have larger families, Mormon demographics are skewed highly to youth (even with higher longevity attributed to avoidance of alcohol and tobacco), and those youth have been found to be strongly committed to their religious faith compared to their peers. Mormons are strongly represented in the US Hispanic community, served by Spanish-language congregations all over the US. The number of black Mormons is growing, with black Mormons leading congregations of all races, and it is not unusual for white Mormons to adopt black children (I have seen them in every congregation I have attended in recent years with people of child-rearing age).

So if all Hispanics, blacks, young people and women are welcome in this new organization, there will have to be some Mormons there, too. Maybe middle-aged Asian-American Mormon veterans like me will also be welcomed.

Seriously, any desire to build a broad-based coalition centered around a common cause of keeping American society safe for traditional moral values will have to open its doors to people of all religions, including Catholics, Mormons, Orthodox Jews, and Muslims. Reed and other leaders will need to remember that religious affiliation cuts across all lines of gender, age, and ethnicity.

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