Fla. Evangelist Backs Attack on Romney

[Dos Equis]

I suspect Romney will see a lot more attacks like this as he gets closer to becoming the front-runner.

Monday, June 11, 2007 9:08 a.m. EDT
Fla. Evangelist Backs Attack on Romney
A Florida televangelist dismissed criticism that he is illegally mixing religion and politics by telling followers that a vote for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who is Mormon, "is a vote for Satan."

Americans United for Separation of Church and State has asked the Internal Revenue Service to investigate St. Petersburg-based evangelist Bill Keller, who has used his online columns and late night TV show to assert that Romney is not a Christian because he belongs to the Mormon church.

The group says Keller's anti-Romney rants violate federal tax law, and it wants the IRS to look into revoking the tax-exempt status of his nonprofit ministry. The law prohibits tax-exempt organizations from endorsing or opposing candidates.

Keller, who regularly refers to the Mormon church as a cult, was unmoved by the complaint.

"I have never told anybody who to vote for or who not to vote for — ever," Keller said. "I have every right to speak on matters of life and culture, including political issues, and to educate people on the spiritual implications of those issues."

Keller writes a daily devotional published on his Web site and e-mailed to more than 2 million subscribers. His live, call-in program is televised weeknights at 1 a.m. in the Tampa market.

"Having Romney as president is no different than having a Muslim or Scientologist as president," Keller wrote in a recent column. "I'll stay home and not vote before I will vote for Satan, since if you vote for Romney you are voting for Satan!"

The Romney campaign declined to comment.

http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2007/6/11/91357.shtml?s=ic

[headhuntersix]

You know..if the Mormon Church says be good to people..promotes what amount to Christian ideals..why attack them. I think this really hurts the Evangelical movement. Now if this was some dirtbag muslim cleric he would be calling for a jihad against Mormons and killing them wherever they are found. The difference between our nutbags and them...morning beach

[Dos Equis]

You know..if the Mormon Church says be good to people..promotes what amount to Christian ideals..why attack them. I think this really hurts the Evangelical movement. Now if this was some dirtbag muslim cleric he would be calling for a jihad against Mormons and killing them wherever they are found. The difference between our nutbags and them...morning beach

Morning headhuntersix.  Hoo-rah sir!     (Do they still say that?)

I agree.  I've had nothing but positive experiences with Mormons.  They have some . . . different practices and a bad history, but you could say the same about Christianity. 

[BayGBM]

Mormons denied that black people had souls until the 1970s.  There are a number of other reasons to find them objectionable.

That said, the Mormons I was friends with in grad school were kind people, and I had healthy friendships with them; we often took road trips together and dined together in each other’s homes.  I don’t care what people believe; as long as they treat me with courtesy and respect we will get along fine.

I have no problem voting for a Mormon, but I would not vote for Mitt Romney.  btw, why is someone's religious beliefs even public information?  I only learned in February that a good friend of mine is Jewish.  He never brought it up, and it would never occur to me to ask about someone’s faith because I simply do not care.  I focus on behavior--not belief.

[headhuntersix]

Which is probably most mormons....certainly not the Devils spawn. Yeah they do BB..where i work eveybody is an academic and sorta recharging from deployments so we're all militaryed out. Hey Fox and Friends is coming to my Post so i have to help out, maybe I'll be on camera. Look for the guy whos staring at his watch. I'm headed on Leave to Florida,  friday right after these idiots get outa here.

[Dos Equis]

btw, why is someone's religious beliefs even public information?  I only learned in February that a good friend of mine is Jewish.  He never brought it up, and it would never occur to me to ask about someone’s faith because I simply do not care.  I focus on behavior--not belief.

I guess for the same reason their marital status, prior marriages, relationships with their children, sexual preferences, ethnic background, criminal history, employment history, etc., etc. are public information.  Unfortunately, when you run for public office, particularly the highest office in the land, everything becomes a matter of public information.