Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Huntsman Defines His Religious Affiliation

Former Utah governor  and more recently ambassador to China, John Huntsman, Jr., is considering running for the Republican nomination for the Presidency (Salt Lake Tribune).  Religion Dispatches suggests that Huntsman will not allow his Mormonism to define him.  Huntsman's comments about his religious beliefs in an interview last week on ABC's Good Morning America (full text) have been garnering attention. Here is what he said when asked whether he is a practicing Mormon:
I believe in God. I'm a good Christian. I'm very proud of my Mormon heritage. I am Mormon. Today, there are 13 million Mormons. It's a very diverse and heterogeneous cross-section of people. And you're going to find a lot of different attitudes and a lot of different opinions in that 13 million.... And I probably add to that diversity somewhat.
Huntsman also said that he did not think that his religious affiliation would be an issue in the campaign.