Dan Gilgoff takes an insightful look at the dilemma faced by some evangelical Christians in this presidential election. he focuses on Rob Seyler who has a picture of Barack Obama on the wall of his classroom at Grandview Park Baptist Church in Des Moines, Iowa.
…Seyler, who has always supported Republicans for president, cringes at the thought of having to paint over Obama with a portrait of Mitt Romney. How could a teacher whose mission is instilling orthodox Christianity in the hearts and minds of impressionable teenagers justify a portrait of a Mormon at the front of his class?
As certain as he is that Obama is Christian, he’s sure that Mormons are not.
“Not to shun Mormons, but they teach that Jesus was a man exactly like you or me and that men can become gods,” says Seyler, whose completely shaved head and bushy rust-brown goatee give him the air of a biker dude.
It’s those kind of teachings, he believes, that can land you in hell.
So even though nearly everyone in Seyler’s close-knit extended family has fallen into line behind Republican nominee Romney — “he’s the lesser of two evils,” his brother-in-law Chris explains over burgers out one night — Seyler isn’t sure he’s going to cast a ballot for president this year.
He might stay home instead.