An e-mail:
I’d like to address your emailers who say they’ll never vote for a Mormon.
Though I’m a Mormon, I kind of sympathize with them. Evangelicals have been taught for years by their pastors that we’re Satanic. This attitude is so prevalent that after Hurricane Katrina, some people refused to accept help if it came from an LDS volunteer. That’s some seriously irrational fear—but sincere nonetheless. And many religious people believe that to vote for someone they think is evil (no matter how conservative his politics) is to risk losing God’s protection. This is a huge differentiating belief between religious conservatives and, say, liberals. We hold allegiance to a higher authority.
Whether he wins or loses, I’m glad that Romney’s run has given my church more exposure—but not so we can get more converts. Rather, I’d like people to get to know us and judge for themselves what we’re like. And, ironically, people who claim they’re not voting for Romney because he’s Mormon have only drawn more attention to our religion, and in a far more positive way than they intended.