Theologian-in-chief? Romney's speech spurs questions about faith

For Latter-day Saints, "exaltation" means righteous men and women "who attain the highest level in the celestial kingdom (heaven) become gods, receive exaltation and are joint heirs with Christ of all that (God) the Father has," according to the Encyclopedia of Mormonism.

The doctrine was taught by the fifth president of the LDS Church, Lorenzo Snow, who said, "As man now is, God once was. As God now is, man may be."

According to the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, that is a similar view of salvation as the early Christian "theopoiesis," in the second and third centuries, which means literally, "being made God."

"Due to its incongruity with the doctrine of God in Western Christianity, deification fell out of favor as the preferred way of describing salvation," the reference work says.

"I don't think it's at all necessary to say that any LDS person is going to be more Machiavellian or grasping after power than anyone else," says Salt Lake Theological Seminary's Wakefield, himself an evangelical. "I want to be fair to lots of humble people in Utah. But in the most conservative of evangelicals' minds, one of the most distinctive parts of (Mormon) theology makes them go 'Wow' and wonder if this is more of a power grab."

But should any of this really matter to the presidential race?

Humility, wisdom and a strong commitment to justice are what matter in a candidate, not "narrow beliefs of this, that or the other," says the Right Rev. Carolyn Tanner Irish, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah. "I'd rather have someone who cares about the poor than somebody who recites the Nicene Creed every day."

A doctrine like the Trinity should have no bearing on whether a person would make a good president, says the Rev. Steven Goodier of Christ United Methodist Church in Salt Lake City. On the other hand, he says "theology does matter, in so far as it informs who a person is." If, for example, a person's theology is that the world is going to end in the near future, he's not going to care about the environment, the Rev. Goodier says.

"He's not running to be theologian-in-chief," argues Unitarian minister and historian Church, echoing Romney's oft-repeated assertion that the country is not choosing a "pastor-in-chief."

For their part, most Mormons can't understand why there is any question about whether they are Christian, and what their values are.

"I was taught in my home to honor God and love my neighbor," Romney said Thursday. "I saw my father march with Martin Luther King. I saw my parents provide compassionate care to others, in personal ways to people nearby, and in just as consequential ways in leading national volunteer movements."