Romney's Battle with Religion and Race

In the eyes of many voters, Mitt Romney’s adherence to the views of the Mormon faith certainly raises some questions about his relationship with ethnic minorities. Moreover, the clash between race and religion as influences on the voting patterns of Americans is fully exemplified through Romney’s campaign. As related by a quote from an article in Slate magazine entitled, Romney’s Mormon Problem, this connection to Mormonism can be a source of conflict, “saddling itself with some pro-slavery views at the time of the Civil War, and also with a “bible” of its own that referred to black people as a special but inferior creation, the Mormon Church did not admit black Americans to the priesthood until 1978.” But it can also be a source of strength for Romney when it comes to social issues such as gay marriage and abortion. Though the Mormon religion is quite different from more prevalent Christian denominations that exist in communities of ethnic minorities, its positions on gay marriage, welfare, and abortion are nearly identical. What is interesting about how these religious patterns is how they fail to influence the voting decisions of ethnic minority groups as a whole. Despite, as stated by Fowler, the fact that “a strong majority of Latino Americans remain catholic (some 68 percent)… only18 percent of Latino Catholics [identify with the GOP].” Furthermore, despite the fact that “80 percent of all African Americans report praying daily, compared to the national average of 58 percent… the presidential nominee could count on receiving 85 percent of the vote of the expanding African American electorate.” Despite the heavy influence of religion in the communities of ethnic minorities across the country, it is shocking to note that ethnic minorities by and large vote for the more liberal political party. Thus, ethnic minorities interests in voting for candidates with policies that favor liberal racial attitudes trump their desires to make voting decisions based on religious values.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/fighting_words/2011/10/is_mormonism_a_cult_who_cares_it_s_their_weird_and_sinister_beli.html