The Presidency's Mormon Moment

In a op-ed piece with the same title in today's NY Times, Kenneth Woodward argues that Mitt Romney, rather than pretending to be an evangelical Christian, should address the distinctive nature of his Mormon faith to prevent the American public's general ignorance about Mormonism producing a distrust of him as a presidential candidate. Highlighting some of the unique Mormon teachings, Woodward writes:

...the very different meanings Mormon doctrine attaches to words it shares with historic Christianity. For example, Mormons speak of God, but they refer to a being who was once a man of "flesh and bone," like us. They speak of salvation, but to them that means admittance to a "celestial kingdom" where a worthy couple can eventually become "gods" themselves. The Heavenly Father of whom they speak is married to a Heavenly Mother. And when they emphasize the importance of the family, they may be referring to their belief that marriage in a Mormon temple binds families together for all eternity.