The LDS church famously seeks a high level of commitment from its members — in prayer, study, service to others and charity. A lifelong Mormon, Romney served as a missionary in France as a young man and as a top Latter-day Saint leader in the Boston area.
However, the Republican candidate’s commitment to the church is a double-edged sword in the contest for the presidential nomination. Many GOP voters are Christians who do not consider Mormons to be part of historic Christianity. Romney supporters worry that details of his church donations contained in the tax returns could fuel opposition to him based on his religion.
“I feel it can be misconstrued if the sums of money he’s giving to the church struck observers as unusual or as indicating some particular loyalty that threatens his independence as a politician,’’ said Terryl Givens, a professor at the University of Richmond and author of several books on Latter-day Saints.
The annual 10 percent donation is a Bible mandate taught throughout Christianity. (Evangelical pastor Rick Warren, author of the bestselling book “The Purpose Driven Life,’’ is known to “reverse tithe,’’ keeping 10 percent of his earnings for his family while giving away 90 percent.)
Particular to Mormon teaching, Latter-day Saints must pay the tithe to remain a church member in good standing and participate in temple rituals. The Doctrine & Covenants, a collection of revelations from church founder Joseph Smith, says of tithing that Mormons “shall observe this law, or they shall not be found worthy to abide among you.’’ Nearly 80 percent of Latter-day Saints said they paid a tithe in a recent survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life.
Mormon giving is shaped by an ethic of self-reliance from the church’s pioneer heritage, and by the history of anti-Mormon persecution over religious beliefs and past support for polygamy, which the church renounced in 1890.
