Stephen Prothero writes for CNN belief blog:
Continue Reading on religion.blogs.cnn.com
Why are evangelicals like Billy Graham and Ralph Reed stumping for Mitt Romney? And why are roughly three-quarters of white evangelicals inclined to vote for him?
Because politics matters more to them than religion. . . .
Until
quite recently, many evangelicals saw Mormonism as a dangerous cult
spreading false theology and dooming its followers to hell. In fact,
only after Romney showed up for a meet and greet with Billy Graham in
North Carolina earlier this month did the website of the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association erase a reference to Mormonism as a “cult.” . . .
Ralph Reed,
too, is forsaking his theology for his politics, mobilizing his
Atlanta-based Faith and Freedom Coalition to place voter guides in Ohio
churches in the run-up to election day.
I
am old enough to remember when the main purpose of Reed’s Christian
Coalition and other groups on the religious right was to put born-again
Christians in the Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court. And
for decades those who were running those groups saw Mormons as
non-Christians. . . .
I used to
believe that the purpose of the religious right was to infuse American
politics with Christian politicians and Christian politics. I no longer
believe that. The purpose of the religious right is to use the Christian
God for political purposes. Why any Christian, conservative or liberal,
can say “Amen” to that is beyond me.
I am perfectly happy to see Reed stump for Romney in Ohio and Graham plump for Romney in an ad in The Wall Street Journal. Just don’t tell me they are doing so as Christians. They are doing so as shills for the GOP.
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