Althouse (and Chris Mathews) on Romney. Does religious faith have relevance?

NOTE:  REVISED/EDITED AT 5 PM OF THE SAME DAY (IN ORDER TO CLARIFY).

Ms. Althouse  weighs in after live blogging the Republican debate at the request of her many readers.  Among other things she says:

Ann Althouse at ALTHOUSE excerpt from "Simulblogging the Republican Debate," May 3, 2007.

Romney is asked about religion, and he is speaking very well about it. Matthews keeps asking the question about whether religious faith has any relevance to the presidential race. The right answer here is rather obvious, and I think everyone on the stage knows what it is. A person's religious faith gives rise to values that matter in public life, but which religion it is doesn't matter and we shouldn't argue about that. It's really just a matter of saying that in a clear and inspiring way: America is great because of our religious tolerance, etc.

Romney lights into Patrick Fitzgerald and the way he went after Scooter Libby. I like the way Romney is cool and controlled but gets passionate -- in a controlled way -- when it goes with his issue. Or do you think he's too slick? I think he's doing well. He's seems ready to play the role of candidate. Republicans ought to want to take advantage of that.

[quote ends]

I'm not sure that which religion doesn't matter. It might matter .  For example, I wouldn't vote for someone who belonged to a small sect of right-wing Christians who wanted to turn America into a theocracy as in The Handmaid's Tale.  I wouldn't vote for someone whose more conventional religious beliefs included the notion that women do not belong in the workplace.  I'd prefer not to vote for someone who opposes gay marriage (though I doubt that I am going to have a choice on that issue).  To know about values, you may need information about the person's specific beliefs.

Like most people, I don't know much about Mormons except that the ones I've personally met here in Florida  are exceedingly kind and lovely people and that many Mormons live in Utah.   I have a general idea of what most Christian denominations or sects believe.  I've acquired a great deal of information about the Mormons from people who used to be, but no longer are, Mormons (and who generally present a very negative view of them) which I can't in good conscience count as "knowing much about the Mormons."  The current Mormons I've met don't really talk much about the things I really would like to know about. 

I don't think it's out of line to ask what being a believing Mormon means about the person's values, which is exactly the same question as "questions about values."   People really creep around the whole Mormon issue and there are some things I've read that definitely give me pause.

Just to lay my cards on the table: Romney's Mormonism matters to me only because he is also a Republican, and the Republicans have shown a tolerance for faith-based politics that doesn't sit well with me.  If he were a Democrat, I wouldn't be concerned.  ("Two words," hissed one of my friends, "HAROLD FORD."  Okay, I wouldn't be AS concerned.

So yes, it matters to me what Romney, a Mormon, thinks on specific issues where policies that I support conflict with his religious beliefs. 

Unfortunately, since Mormons don't discuss their beliefs in depth with nonMormons, you can really only get details from ex-Mormons. At this site, "Recovery from Mormonism", ex-Mormons discuss every aspect of Mormon life---though, since they are ex-Mormons, their view is naturally pretty jaundiced.  In fact, my knowledge of Mormonism comes from ex-mormons such as Martha Beck, which it seems to me creates a bit of a problem for people who want to understand the Mormon view.  I do understand why Mormons wouldn't care to discuss their beliefs with outsiders, mind you. For example, in an excerpt from his new book God is Great published at Slate, Christopher Hitchens---equally unkind to other religions, let it be said---discusses Mormonism in an article called "Mormonism:  A Racket Becomes a Religion". 

I personally don't care where the Mormons in general think God lives or what they imagine the afterlife will be like. What the Mormons in general believe  isn't one bit less rational than what I, as an Episcopalian, am told I must believe and what I from time to time  DO believe. 

It does matter to me what Romney, as a candidate, believes about, say, the relationship of men and women in society,   the rights and status of women, the rights and status of African-Americans and so forth.   I imagine he holds views acceptable to Republicans or he wouldn't have got where he is.  That cuts no ice with me since the Republicans have much too high a tolerance for mixing faith and politics.  I felt the same way about Jimmy Carter, actually, about Ronald Reagan, and about George W. Bush as I do about Romney.   I will feel the same about any politician if he (or someone else) succeeds in making his or her faith an issue. 

It doesn't matter to me what Democrats believe about their relationship to God unless they make it matter the way Carter and  Harold Ford did .   I didn't vote for Carter because of the whole "Moral Majority" thing and I didn't support Ford because he made his beliefs an issue in his campaign.    

Compare Harry Reid.   I didn't even know Harry Reid is a Mormon until recently because religious faith just isn't that big a deal for Democrats.  You can be as devout as you want, publicly and privately, but other Democrats know you aren't going to get far if you try to implement policies based on your moral system.  [I wouldn't vote for Reid because of his stupid comment about the war, which fueled a million boring arguments on the blogosphere and a lot of gloating by right-wingers (though I AM grateful for the Michelle Malkin "Defeatocrats" cheer, of course; haven't laughed so much in years)]. 

In other news, Sam Brownback brought tears to Ms. Althouse's eyes talking about the sacredness of Terry Schiavo's life. If only Republicans such as Brownback felt the same about the sacredness of the lives of the fallen souls on death row, I'd have got a bit teary too. I totally believe life is sacred (though I've wondered if God holds the same view, so much of the evidence being to the contrary).

They should put jolly old Hitch in charge of interviewing each and every candidate about his religious views and "values."  The English are not tactful about religion.  My husband won't even discuss it; though he won't admit it, it embarrasses him that I am even a marginal Christian.  A Brit such as Mr. Hitchens wouldn't tiptoe around the hard questions.