Most conservative Christian political activists and pastors who studied Mitt Romney’s speech on Thursday addressing his Mormon faith agree it was something he had to do.<\/p>\n
But few said it was strong enough to change the minds of evangelicals – a powerful force in Republican politics.<\/p>\n
“It was a wise move on his part,” said Chuck Hurley, a pro-family Christian activist and former Iowa legislator who has endorsed Gov. Mike Huckabee. “He is a gifted speaker and I would guess he will have mollified some people’s concerns. But the more people investigate the beginnings of the Mormon church, the more uneasy they will be, and there’s nothing he can do about that.”<\/p>\n
According to a recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Americans most likely to say they value religion in a president – white evangelical Protestants – are also most likely to be bothered by Romney’s religion.<\/p>\n
Thirty-six percent of evangelical Republicans expressed reservations about voting for a Mormon – a level of opposition much higher than that seen among the electorate overall.<\/p>\n