Florida Pastor calling out Romney for his Religion

This story has already stirred the proverbial pot. This past weekend, I received a press release from Pastor O'Neal Dozier of the World Wide Christian Center (TWCC) in Pompano Beach, FL (Fort Lauderdale). In it he announced that he would be holding a press conference today at which he would identify Mormonism as a "racist" religion.

Looks like he's garnered some attention from overseas...

Via the Daily Mail:

A reverend has called on Mitt Romney to give up Mormonism because the religion is prejudiced against African-Americans, Native Americans and the Jewish community.

Reverend O'Neal Dozier, who has been a vocal supporter of Rick Santorum, said black voters will never stand behind the former Massachusetts governor because of his beliefs.

The pastor has planned a news conference tomorrow at the Worldwide Christian Center Church in Pompano Beach, Florida.

 NRO's Jim Geraghty has picked it up too. He had this to say about the Dozier press release:

You can find those verses objectionable. Of course, there are plenty of other verses of the Bible, Torah, and Koran that other Americans find objectionable. You can find the practice of baptizing the dead objectionable (I certainly do). But there are plenty of other practices of other faiths that other Americans find objectionable. Declaring “God d*** America” comes to mind.

Has any other presidential candidate been greeted with religious leaders demanding he renounce his faith? In the name of national tolerance and harmony?

A point Geraghty misses here is that if it was right to vet Wright, isn't it right to vet Mormonsim? Is it not a double standard to give one a pass and the other a healthy dose of questions?

The New York Daily News picked up the story as well:

Dozier, a senior pastor of The Worldwide Christian Center Church in Pompano Beach, also said Romney's Mormonism will serve as Obama's "secret weapon" if Romney does secure a nomination and the pair faces off in the upcoming presidential race.

"We believe that a Romney Presidential nomination for the Republican Party would widen the racial divide to a point of no return, because the Republican Party would be viewed as a racist political party," the statement continues. "Romney's nomination would cause the erroneous view that has long existed in the minds of black people, that the Republican Party is prejudice, to become a reality.

"Also, if Romney gets the nomination, President Obama's super pacs [Police Action Committees\] will educate the American people about his racist religion and he will probably lose to Obama."

Or this, from MediaIte:

Rev. Dozier’s primary issue with the Mormon religion, according to the press release he circulated today, is what he views as its history of racist and xenophobic practices. “The Mormon religion is prejudiced against Blacks, Jews and the Native American Indians,” he writes. “These allegations are substantiated and validated by the writings of the former Prophets and Seers of the Mormon Church.”

Salt Lake Tribune...

"The Mormon religion is prejudiced against blacks, Jews and the Native American Indians," Dozier says in a release previewing the news conference. "These allegations are substantiated and validated by the writings of the former prophets and seers of the Mormon church."

This could get interesting...