As in 2008, Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith is still an issue. Last month, Romney visited America’s most-famous evangelist, Billy Graham and son Franklin. Romney received an endorsement. This endorsement, and the way it was handled, is a source of controversy in some evangelical circles.

It appears that an article referring to Mormonism as a “cult” disappeared from the website of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, after the endorsement, which seems suspicious.

The term “cult” is a loaded word. It could refer to a “sociological cult”, describing its organization. Among evangelicals, the term “cult” usually refers to a religious group which historically originated among Christians but that now denies the deity of Christ.

Evangelicals, always big targets in liberal circles, have been accused of intolerance toward Mormons. That’s not fair, since evangelicals’ objections to Mormonism are based on sound doctrinal reasons.

And it’s not only evangelicals. The Roman Catholic Church also considers Mormonism a cult,refusing to accept Mormon baptism though it does usually accept Protestant baptism.

The United Methodist Church (of which both George W. Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton are members) declares that “the LDS [Mormon] Church is not a part of the historic, apostolic tradition of the Christian faith."

Mormons shouldn’t be offended when other churches say this. After all, according to Doctrine and Covenants, considered scripture by Mormons, the Mormon Church is “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth".

In contrast to orthodox Christianity and its doctrine of the omnipotent Triune God who created the universe, its angels and men, Mormon doctrine  posits a universe of gods and men who are really one species in different phases of development. According to Mormon doctrine, individual Mormons (including Mitt Romney) may, if they follow the rules, become gods in the afterlife. So the U.S. presidency is not the highest post Mitt is shooting for, according to Mormonism.

So, whether you call Mormonism a “cult” or another “religion”, its core doctrines are not compatible with historical, orthodox Christianity,of any branch.

Does it then follow that Christians shouldn’t vote for a Mormon? That’s another question. A presidential candidate is, after all, running for President of the United States, not for Preacher-in-Chief.

Mitt Romney is untrustworthy on the National Question, as we’ve pointed out here at VDARE.COM.

But it’s likely that most voting Christian evangelicals, like many other Americans, are voting for Romney in order to defeat Obama.