Sheri Shepard wants Romney to explain Mormonism, so whyEXACTLY is it improper for her to expect that FROM HIM?

Question

She said she feel she needs to know more how his Religion filters through.

Normally I'm laughing at things she says that pour into the news, as indicative of a kind of sad lack of intelligence and critical thinking skills more pervasive in this country today.

But I'm not laughing like that now.
I could reasure someone like her that a question like hers shouldn't be relevant, if it were JFKennedy.

But Mitt Romney clearly does not advocate for separation of church and state.
So, God bless her simple minded innocent perspective for once, Why on earth should her question be dismissed irrelevant?

Answer 1

People with imaginary friends, like Mitt & Sheri, should be banned from holding public office and should never be anything but ridiculed.

Answer 2

I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually was tuned into that episode of the View. I think it was yesterday. I did pay enough attention to catch that conversation. It struck me at the time as ignorant and completely off base. Here's why: If Ms. Shepard is ignorant of Mormonism that is HER PROBLEM. It is not Mitt Romney's job to inform her of subjects about which she wishes to become more educated. It is his job to explain to her how he will function as president, if elected, and how, if at all, his religion will influence his decisions as president. He did that quite nicely in his speech the other day. Ms. Shepard may or may not agree with Mitt Romney's perspective, but if she has further interest in Mormonism, she needs to darn well do the research herself.

Answer 3

Who the h*ll is Sheri Shepard?

And, how is it exactly that Romney "clearly does not advocate" for separation of church and state?

Last but not least, alluding to "mommanuke"'s question: how is his recent speech not enough for YOU?

If you don't like him or feel his religious beliefs would impede his leadership skills, don't vote for him. It's that simple.

Answer 4

"But Mitt Romney clearly does not advocate for separation of church and state."

Any evidence for this claim? I didn't think so, because it's false. If you were to have heard his speech concerning his religion you would have clued into the fact that he admires ALL faiths.

A lot of Americans, and I guess you are one of them, seem to think that this mythical "separation clause" means that anything public will never advocate faith or revere anything spiritual. If you were to read the Constitution of the United States, it clearly states that "congress shall make no LAW respecting an ESTABLISHMENT of religion or PROHIBITING the free exercise thereof". This doesn't mean that politicians should NEVER refer to God or faith or virtue. This doesn't mean that a Nativity Scene in a public park is unconstitutional nor does it mean that congress can't pray together. This simply means that there will never be erected a "Church of the United States" (as we have seen done historically in Europe) nor will there ever be LEGISLATION forcing the practice of any one religion (nor keeping constituents from practicing another).

So as we can see, a candidate commending the American people for their great faith does not equate to "trying to establish a theocracy".

So back to the question at hand: How is Sheri Shepard's question irrelevant? Well since the dogmas, doctrines, and practices of any specific religion have NO PLAY whatsoever in US politics (rather they shouldn't), who Mitt Romney prays to, how he prays, what he thinks of the creator, and what his ancestors did or believed are COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT to his candidacy.

How does a candidate's belief in a God, a Goddess, many, both, or neither have any bearing on what s/he plans to do with the current war, what s/he plans to do with the American people's desire (or lack thereof) for universal health care, his or her stance on taxes, strength of the government, stance on abortion, civil unions, etc?

It's perfectly fine to question what a candidate (him or herself) believes with respect to certain political issues that obviously have a founding in the ethics and/or religious affiliation of the candidate (as this lends insight as to what s/he will likely fight for or against) but asking what the actual religious institution believes is still irrelevant because it is not in our political process TO ELECT A CHURCH TO OFFICE!

Examples:

This is perfectly relevant:
"Gov. Romney, what do you personally believe about polygamy and would you do anything to try to legalize it?"

This is not:
"Gov. Romney, what does the LDS church teach about polygamy? Why did you guys practice it? etc"

This is relevant:
"Speaker Pelosi, what are your views on abortion and do you seek to keep it legal?"

This is not:
"Speaker Pelosi, what does your Roman Catholic faith believe about abortion? Why does your church seek to destroy a woman's right to choose?"

Answer 5

Because the Constitution does not allow for religious tests for office seekers. Romney's religion is not the basis for his candidacy. You are misinformed. Romney recently gave a speech clearly outlining his belief in the separation of church and state.

Answer 6

It's not that it's just irrelevant, it's that it's lazy (to me, anyway). Doesn't she have paid staffers to do things like research? Just my opinion.

Answer 7

His Thursday speech wasn't enough for her?

Answer 8

Like Aim says "don't vote for him".