Michael Gerson thinks Mitt Romney needs to talk more about his Mormon faith. Intuitively, this sounds like terrible advice. People believe in revelation when it is shrouded in the distant past. When it comes from a guy who peered into hats less than 200 years ago, people just think it’s weird. It’s hard to talk about your Mormon faith without trying to explain and, to some extent, justify your beliefs. Does Mitt Romney want to drop his criticism of Obama’s handling of the economy to discuss his belief in extraterrestrial life?
But I can’t dismiss Mr. Gerson’s advice out of hand. I think he is on to something with this:
Romney’s pressing need to inject some authenticity — or at least some personality — into his campaign is the primary reason he should talk more about his faith. Take away Romney’s religion and you are left with Harvard, Bain and various corporate boardrooms. Mormonism has been one of the main stages for his leadership, as well as the main setting where he has displayed humanity. He has been a missionary, a lay minister, a spiritual guide. He has delivered sermons, counseled couples and worked with leaders of other faiths. Mormonism is the reason for Romney’s rectitude, the explanation for his wholesomeness, the key to understanding his persona. Without it, he would merely be a stiff, able management consultant. Romney’s reticence on religion leaves a large personal and biographical gap.
As I have discussed before, Romney seems to have a giant emptiness at his core. And there seems to be no position he won’t deviate from if it suits him. Maybe this impression is amplified by his decision to Etch A Sketch his religious faith out of his campaign.