Hewitt said in his book that many evangelical Christians believe that Mormons "are not 'saved,' and thus bound for eternal damnation." He said that leads to "a deeply sincere concern that the legitimization of Romney's religion will in fact condemn hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of souls to eternal torment."

Hewitt's book quotes Romney saying he doubts that an LDS president would affect missionary work. "My guess is, if you looked at the conversions in Massachusetts, you wouldn't see any change between before and after I became governor, and I don't think Democrats are flocking to the Mormon church because Harry Reid is the (U.S. Senate) majority leader," Romney is quoted as saying.

The third objection is that Mormonism is "just too weird," and anyone who believes in such "fantasy" should not be elected. Hewitt said he believes some on the left are willing to use that in attacks on Romney should he gain the Republican nomination.

Hewitt said he worries that could make any religious person a target in coming years, because most churches believe in angels, visions, miracles and things that may appear strange to outsiders.

"Romney's LDS faith represents the soft underbelly of all faith-based voters and the candidates they prefer, and if Romney can be bled via an assault on the rationality of his faith, the next candidate of firm religious view can expect more of the same," Hewitt wrote.

Romney's religion is only one of 10 things that Hewitt writes that people should know about him. Hewitt said much more important to him personally is how highly intelligent Romney seems, and his problem-solving approaches learned in business.

He said the most surprising thing he learned about Romney is his extreme wealth. "He would be the richest president ever," he said. Hewitt cites estimates ranging from $500 million to $1 billion in net worth.

Hewitt's book is now available in bookstores and via online book sellers.

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E-mail: lee@desnews.com