Romney and Huntsman highlight orthodox/non-traditional Mormon differences

[myboynoah]

GOP rivals have different takes on Mormon faith

Romney is highly active and orthodox - he was a top local lay leader in Massachusetts for years, and he has embraced his church unequivocally: “I believe in my Mormon faith and endeavor to live by it,’’ he said in a major speech in 2007.

Huntsman has called his adherence to Mormon practices “tough to define.’’ He has described himself as more spiritual than religious and as someone who gets “satisfaction from many different types of religions and philosophies.’’

The former Utah governor’s seeming ambivalence has surprised and disappointed many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, some of whom have questioned whether Huntsman is trying to distance himself from his church for political gain. But others welcome his ambiguity: For them, it highlights a growing debate about whether this relatively new religion can accommodate a more elastic definition of what it means to be Mormon.

[UtahDan]

What was the deal on this when he ran for office in Utah? It seems like I have heard a number of people say that this is him cynically distancing himself from the church for political gain. Others are saying he is just being honest about the fact that he is not really practicing and/or believing at this point. You have to figure that there are people around who have some sense of what his faith trajectory has been. Does any one know?

[Eddie]

What was the deal on this when he ran for office in Utah? It seems like I have heard a number of people say that this is him cynically distancing himself from the church for political gain. Others are saying he is just being honest about the fact that he is not really practicing and/or believing at this point. You have to figure that there are people around who have some sense of what his faith trajectory has been. Does any one know?

I don't know the answer to the question about where he is now.

I suspect that when he ran in Utah many locals viewed the fact that his father was a GA as evidence that they family were actively religious. I know that making that assumption can be wrong, I just suspect that many did.