Dallas Pastor Says Romney's Faith A 'Cult'

Updated: Friday, 07 Oct 2011, 3:46 PM CDT
Published : Friday, 07 Oct 2011, 3:39 PM CDT
By NewsCore

WASHINGTON - Megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress endorsed Texas Gov. Rick Perry before a crowd of religious conservatives at the Values Voter Summit in Washington on Friday, later telling reporters that the Mormon faith of Republican front-runner Mitt Romney is a "cult."

In his introductory remarks, the pastor of the 10,000-member First Baptist Church in Dallas appeared to draw a contrast between Perry and Romney without mentioning the former Massachusetts governor by name.

"Do we want a candidate who is skilled in rhetoric or one who is skilled in leadership?" Jeffress asked. "Do we want a candidate who is a conservative out of convenience or one who is a conservative out of deep conviction? Do we want a candidate who is a good, moral person, or do we want a candidate who is a born-again follower of the Lord Jesus Christ?"

"Rick Perry is a proven leader, he is a true conservative and he is a genuine follower of Christ," Jeffress said.

Later, Jeffress told a Politico reporter that he does not believe Romney to be a Christian, calling his Mormon faith a "cult."

"That is a mainstream view, that Mormonism is a cult," Jeffress told reporters, according to Politico. "Every true, born-again follower of Christ ought to embrace a Christian over a non-Christian."

Jeffress noted that he had not discussed Romney's faith with Perry and was "in no way speaking for him."

During his own remarks, Perry did not compare his religious views to those of his rivals, but suggested that he has greater anti-abortion convictions than others.

"For some candidates, pro-life is an election year slogan," Perry said.

To cheers and applause, Perry said he was "proud to sign a budget that defunded Planned Parenthood in Texas."

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