That is the result of a Rasmussen poll . This is part of the problem facing Mitt Romney when he starts running for President. There are alot of people in this country who think Mormons are heathens to be blunt. He will face that bias when running.
Forty-three percent (43%) of American voters say they would never even consider voting for a Mormon Presidential candidate. Only 38% say they would consider casting such a vote while 19% are not sure. Half (53%) of all Evangelical Christians say that they would not consider voting for a Mormon candidate.
Well, being a mormon isn't even that bad, if they are matched up with a muslim or an atheist. As much as Mormons are distrusted by the American populace, try running as a dog catcher if you are an open atheist.
The response to a theoretical Mormon candidate is far less negative than the response to a Muslim candidate or an atheist. Sixty-one percent (61%) of Likely Voters say they would never consider voting for a Muslim Presidential candidate. Sixty percent (60%) say the same about an atheist.
This has always greatly bothered me about our country. We are supposed to have no religious tests, but basically everything is a religious test. The only reason, many believe, that Nixon was even close to Kennedy in 1960 was the fact that Kennedy was going to be our first (and only so far) Catholic President. So we are in our 43rd Presidency, with one Catholic, no women, no people of color.
Perhaps it's time to acknowledge how backwards we are as a country. It really doesn't matter the faith, every faith has had a woman leader. Protestants in England, Catholics in Ireland, Hindus, even Muslims have had women Prime Ministers or Presidents. We should look at these numbers and worry about what can be done to change this in our country. Right now, we are matched with Turkey neck and neck on which populace rejects evolution the most and embracing creationism. An atheist can not run for President and win period. As much as I abhor Romney, Reid is a Mormon too and he is our leader, but it would be difficult for both of them to be President in the climate we are in.
So, what is to be done? Do we buy into the prejudice or do we start changing the dynamic? Perhaps it's time to support moderate atheists in primaries to show that they aren't the evil boogiemen. If anybody believes that there are 435 members in the house and 100 in the Senate who all believe in God, I would like to sell you a bridge in Brooklyn. We are being dishonest with ourselves, holding religious tests, and forcing any candidate who has doubts in God to lie or choose not to be elected.
Jefferson had doubts, public doubts. Several of the founding fathers were open skeptics, doubters, and deists. Could any of them be open about it today?
Thoughts?