Mitt Romney Hits Back at Pastor Jeffress' 'Mormon Cult' Comments

By CP News Briefs, Saturday, October 08, 2011

Mitt Romney has hit back at Pastor Robert Jeffress following his comments saying that Romney was not a real Christian and that he belonged to a cult; the Mormon Church.

The senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Dallas told The Christian Post Friday that Mormonism is not in line with the historical tenets of Christianity and is considered as a cult among mainstream Christians.

"Evangelical Christians should not vote for Mitt Romney because he’s a Mormon, therefore not a real Christian," Jeffress said.

“Historically, evangelical Christianity has never embraced Mormonism as a branch of Christianity. Mormonism has always been treated as a cult. In fact, the Southern Baptist Convention, which is the largest Protestant denomination in the world, officially labels Mormonism as a cult. It does not embrace the historic tenets of evangelical Christianity,” he said.

Jeffress added, "Mitt Romney is a good, moral person, but that does not make him a Christian."

Jeffress announced at the Values Voter Summit that he plans to vote for Perry, who is an evangelical Christian.

Romney has since responded to the comments; saying the subject matter being raised would do nothing to help the conservative party.

Speaking at the Values Voters Summit on Saturday, Romney said, “Poisonous language doesn’t advance our cause. It’s never softened a single heart or changed a single mind. The blessings of faith carry the responsibility of civil and respectful debate.”

“We should remember that decency and civility are values too,” Romney said, referencing the theme of the conference.

Jeffress also discussed the topic in 2008 when he said: “Mormonism is not Christianity. Mormonism is a cult. And just because somebody talks about Jesus does not make them a believer,” according to The Daily Mail.