Got Mormon?

On belief.net I ran across an article centering on Republican Gov. Mitt Romney who happens to be a Mormon and the problems he is facing as he eyes the White House about his affiliation with the Mormon Sect, or as some like to call it, the Mormon Cult. He finds himself in a very difficult position as he attempts to separate himself from his church to appease those Americans who are against voting a Mormon candidate into office while at the same time, proving to religious conservatives that he will not be the type of person who checks his religious beliefs at the door and is hardly impacted by his faith. In truth, he faces a challenge greater than the one Kennedy faced when running for presidency as the first Catholic because he must take all strides necessary to not alienate those of his own faith, the non-religious, or Christian evangelicals. He is being called be some to separate his "faith" from his denominational beliefs. If you ask me, I am unsure he will be able to find a line between the two because beliefs are rooted in one's faith. In this article I learned a lot about the Mormon faith and that Mormons do not believe in original sin, but they do hold that their church is the one true church. As a Catholic, I found this belief interesting because I was raised to believe that the Catholic Church is the "one true church". Are these differences significant? Not necessarily. The Catholic Church is different from the Protestant church, so naturally I would think the Mormon church would have its own distinguishing features and beliefs. Romney is not favored in the political sphere in any way by the Mormon church and I think it is more important to look at his credentials in the political arena and the work he has accomplished as governor than his religious affiliation. Obviously he is going to have to face questions dealing with the Mormon history of polygamy and racism, but if he broaches the subject first, he can make people look at Mormonism as it exists now and point out that other religions are not without their own faults and failures as religious institutions. Concerning moral issues, Christians and Mormons hold many of the same views and if Romney can emphasize these similarities, he stands a better chance at winning over those voters who hold conservative views on issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and stem cell research - the importance is in finding common ground that he can stand on. As a Mormon Republican, Romney has already proved that he can overcome the Mormon label by winning elections in a heavily Liberal and Catholic state such as Massachusetts. How important is one's "religious label" when running for office and can you see yourself voting for a Mormon president of the United States in the next presidential election?