Romney Run Leaves Mormons Guardedly Optimistic

Mitt Romney's presidential run has brought his religion an unprecedented amount of attention, and fellow Mormons are both proud of his accomplishment and wary of the scrutiny, the Times reports. Romney puts a friendly, nonthreatening face on the little-understood church, broadening its acceptance, but some fear that closer examination may compromise nearly 2 centuries of struggling to fit in.

Romney's take on some LDS doctrines, both historic (now-repudiated polygamy) and current, has some co-religionists on edge. Others fear that his high-profile run for the White House may reawaken violent anti-Mormon sentiment. One liberal Mormon describes himself as "disillusioned" by Romney's shifting stance on social issues, saying, "I wanted my guy, who represents my church, to be different." (More Mitt Romney stories.)