By Peggy Fletcher Stack
The Salt Lake Tribune
For months, political pundits and journalists have been urging Mitt Romney to give a speech about his Mormon faith, but a few fellow Latter-day Saints aren't sure it's such a good idea.
They worry about whether the speech, scheduled for Thursday at the George Bush Presidential Library in Texas, will help or hurt Romney's political chances and, equally important, whether it will help or hurt Mormonism's image. They say they don't want their sacred doctrines analyzed and possibly pilloried any more than usual by evangelical Christians or media commenters.
If Romney speaks only about the value of religious liberty and common American values, critics will say he dodged the tough issues arising out of Mormon beliefs and history. But if he tries to explain specific Mormon doctrines, he will never extract himself from the theological quicksand.
"There's no question that it's dangerous," said Sarah Barringer Gordon, a non-Mormon law professor at the University of Pennsylvania who has researched the legal issues surrounding polygamy in the 19th century.
"According to the polls I've read, learning a little bit about Mormonism is counterproductive. He either needs to make this about him personally or give a really, really long lesson in Mormonism."
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http://www.sltrib.com/ci_7630065?source=rsslink to a PDF called Romney Faith Tenents:
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site297/2007/1204/20071204_024027_Romney%20Faith%20Tenets.pdf