It was supposed to be the bridge that no Republican presidential hopeful crossed — attacking Mormon beliefs. Candidates are certainly free to go after one another on their beliefs, record, and agenda, but going after the religious tenets of a rival’s faith tradition is too low a blow, even by the GOP’s standards.<\/p>\n
And yet, Mike Huckabee apparently went there anyway<\/a>.<\/p>\n In an interview with the New York Times Magazine, to be published this Sunday, Huck admitted that he didn’t know much about Mormon theology, but did say this: “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?”<\/p>\n In fact, as a spokeswoman for the Mormon Church told the Associated Press, Mormons believe that all<\/i> are the spirit children of God, including all people as well as Jesus and Satan. “Christ, on the other hand, was the only begotten in the flesh and we worship him as the son of God and the savior of mankind,” said Kim Farah. “Satan is the exact opposite of who Christ is and what he stands for.”<\/p>\n Huckabee also demurred when asked whether Mormons are a cult: “I’m just not going to go off into evaluating other people’s doctrines and faiths.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Except, that is, to suggest that Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers. Other than that, Huckabee isn’t interested in evaluating other people’s doctrines and faiths.<\/p>\n Now, I’m not an expert in LDS tenets, but by all indications, Huckabee is theologically wrong<\/a> in even asking the question, but given the political climate, that’s hardly the most striking thing about the development. No word yet on whether the former Arkansas governor asked if the Jews killed Jesus or if Catholics pray to Mary as a god.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Romney was less direct<\/a> on the “Today” show this morning.<\/p>\n “…I think attacking someone’s religion is really going too far. It’s just not the American way, and I think people will reject that,” Romney told NBC’s “Today” show.<\/p>\n Asked if he believed Huckabee was speaking in a coded language to evangelicals, Romney praised his rival as a “good man trying to do the best he can,” but he added, “I don’t believe that the people of this country are going to choose a person based on their faith and what church they go to.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I suppose we’ll find out if that’s true. As a rule, candidates who take cheap shots like this at rivals from their own party end up hurting themselves more than their opponent. But this one’s tricky — far too much of the Republican base really doesn’t like Mormons<\/a>, and it’s possible that GOP activists won’t care that Huckabee is hitting below the belt when denigrating a faith tradition they already find offensive. Attacking Romney’s church, in other words, may not bother right-wing primary voters in the slightest.<\/p>\n
\n
\nHugh Hewitt, an enthusiastic (oftentimes sycophantic) Romney supporter, raised<\/a> a perfectly legitimate point:<\/p>\n