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*** UPDATED AT 1:45 PM ET WITH COMMENT FROM RUBIO SPOKESMAN AND CORRECTS TIMELINE***
Quick: What religion is the son of Cuban exiles?
Answer: Roman Catholic, right? Right.
And also Mormon?
That’s right, Marco Rubio, the conservative senator on everyone’s short list for vice president, was a member of the LDS Church in his youth, BuzzFeed reports.
Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
When Rubio's family moved to a suburb of Las Vegas, many in his immediate family converted.
When Rubio's family moved to a suburb of Las Vegas, near cousins who were Mormon, many in his immediate family (but not his father) converted, including Marco. Rubio was baptized in the church when he was 8 and enthusiastically participated in the religion, according to the report.
Rubio spokesman Alex Conant tells First Read BuzzFeed is incorrect that "Rubio's steadfast participation in the Mormon church continued for several years—until his parents decided to move them to Miami." (*** UPDATE *** BuzzFeed has clarified: "The cousins said Rubio's participation in the Mormon church continued for several years, until his parents decided to move them to Miami—though Conant said the family left the church before leaving Nevada.")
In fact, Conant said, "He left the church when he was 11 or 12, he received his first communion in 1984 when he was 13, and they didn’t move back to Miami until the next year, in 1985."
BuzzFeed’s McKay Coppins writes:
“The revelation adds a new dimension to Rubio's already-nuanced religious history—and could complicate his political future at a time when many Republicans see him as the odds-on favorite for the 2012 vice presidential nod. Vice presidential candidates are traditionally chosen to provide ethnic and religious balance to a ticket. Mitt Romney's Mormonism and Rubio's Catholic faith would already mean the first two members of minority traditions on a Republican ticket in American history. Rubio's Mormon roots could further complicate that calculation.”
NBC Latino reports that a former Rubio campaign staffer said this should have no bearing on whether the Florida senator's picked as VP and that he is a "devout Catholic":
“It should not affect it at all, that is totally unfair,” says Bertica Cabrera Morris, who ran Senator Rubio’s campaign in Central Florida and is a Senior Advisor to the Romney campaign, as well as a member of Romney’s Hispanic Steering Committee.
“Marco is a devout Catholic,” Cabrera Morris adds. “The first thing he did when he was confirmed as a Senator was have a Mass,” she adds. “His whole life is about faith.”
And Cabrera-Morris said:
"His family attended the church for a few years. He went with his family.”
One of the cousins described Marco to BuzzFeed, though, as being “totally into it.”
“Over the years, he and his cousins frequented LDS youth groups, attended church most Sundays—often walking to the chapel because his mother didn't know how to drive—and latched on to the mainstream Mormon culture that was easily accessible in LDS-heavy Nevada.
“For example, when they were in elementary school, Rubio formed a singing group with Michelle and his sister that would put on performances for extended family. Their inspiration? The Osmonds, of course.”
But all that changed when the family was going to move to Miami.
“Rubio was just reaching high school age when his family relocated, and [cousin] Mo [Denis] speculates that their transition to an area with fewer Mormons likely took its toll.”
A Rubio spokesmantold BuzzFeed “that Rubio never requested to have his name removed from the LDS Church's records, which means officially, the church is likely still counting him as a member.”
And:
“While Rubio continues to identify as a Conservative Roman Catholic, he frequently attends a non-denominational Baptist church with his family in Florida. As his notoriety increases, both communities have sought to lay claim to the rising political star, with little resistance from Rubio himself. In fact, the politician has cooperated for profiles in both the Catholic Advocate, and the Evangelical World Magazine—granting pitch-perfect interviews to each.”
NBC Latino also talked to Ignacio García, a professor at Brigham Young University and a Latino Mormon. García said, NBC Latino writes, "it is not surprising that the Rubio family attended a Mormon church when they lived in Nevada."
"Unless you are hiding under a rock,” García said, “a Latino family in Nevada would have been approached by Mormons, who are welcoming to Latinos, especially immigrants.”
In fact, LDS Church leaders have told NBC News that Latinos are a growth area for the church and are more progressive on immigration policy than on other church policies, like abortion, for example.
Leave a Comment:
It's amazing how people get so worked up about nothing.
IF Rubio is nominated, that's fine. He doesn't deserve it but the head of the GOP ticket will lose to the sane, calm nominee anyway.
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012.
Yes lets have four more years of complete and total incompetence!
ssmike: complete and total incompetence? You are perfectly entitled to have a poor opinion of the president and to work against his re-election. But I'd suggest there is plenty of evidence of his competence. You might well not approve of what he's done, but: he saved the US automobile industry and returned it to profitability; he twice extended unemployment benefits in a weak economy; the Dow-Jones is THOUSANDS of points above its low during the Bush years; he got the Senate to ratify an arms control treaty; he repealed Don't Ask, Don't Tell; he managed the Arab Spring pretty well; he helped depose Qadaffi; he eliminated silly, superstition based limitations on stem cell research; he passed (an admittedly weakened) health care reform and banking reform; and he passed the third largest tax cut in US history (in the much maligned "Stimulus" package). I'd suggest those accomplishments--especially in the face of absolute Republican intransigence--constitute evidence of competence for the job.
It sounds like as an 8 year old little Marco should have had a better idea that one day he was going to be a politician on the national stage and that his parents decision to attend a certain church was going to impact his marketability as a political candidate. Who cares about his policy, or even the faith he practices as an adult. This is the type of inside information that only a powerhouse news organizations like MSNBC can bring that is going to influence my decision making.
I mean in all seriousness we have Syria slaughtering innocent civilians, and Iran building a nuclear weapon in the plain sight of the entire world, but MSNBC decides to bring us riveting stories about insecure 13 year old girls and what church Marco Rubio went to when he was 8. I have to say great job, and keep up the good work.
Ironic. A majority of the first people to "IMMIGRATE" to America were those seeking refuge from religious persecution.
And now it seems the decendants of those brave souls, full fledged citizens, are doing their best to persecute others for their beliefs. America has come a long way, and become that which it was designed to eliminate from the planet. Nice going.
Gotta admire any religion who's motto is "I don't care how many you bring, just Bring 'em Young!"
lol
Another example of bad journalism or a writer who does not understand English: “While Rubio continues to identify as a Conservative Roman Catholic, he frequently attends a non-denominational Baptist church with his family in Florida." As a seventh generation Baptist, I can affirm that the Baptist Church is a denomination and therefore Mr. Rubio does not frequent a "non-denominational" church.
BFD! All the different churches Rubio attended/attends makes him sound more like our Muslim/Christian President the Right Reverend Ackmood Obama. Missed the point of this sterling piece of unbiased investigative journalism. As usual another slow day at MSNBC.
Actually it was probably a busy day...busy deflecting any and all Obama news.
What the heck is wrong with these clowns on the left? Last time I checked Rubio isn’t running for President….so the real quick answer would be….who cares what religion he was in his youth. Actually a better question would be, where was the losers on the left when they found out Obama had been in Rev Wrights church for 20 years…..even though he wasn’t listening….yea right.
Where were those on the left when they found out Obama had been in Rev. Wright's church for 20 years? Watching the news about it on TV or reading about it on the internet or in newspapers and magazines JUST LIKE YOU WERE. I've seen no suggestion that Obama didn't listen to Rev. Wright's sermons. Are we to disqualify from public office any candidate who has ever sat through a religious service in with the minister made controversial remarks?
This story garnered a position on the front page as an important story? Really? The guy hasn't even been asked to be VP yet and this liberal media web news site is already shooting blanks to get their base readers riled? How pitiful and laughable.
I recently heard a rumor that Jesus was a Jew at the age of 8. MSNBC.com should get on that.
Uhhh?
And this is an issue? The reporter of this article is going to have to declare him/herself as a Democrat sooner or later...
This is really grasping at straws. I guess they're afraid that Rubio could be a "brokered" candidate and they want to do whatever damage they can now.
What a limp article....
What a ridiculous article! "Vice presidential candidates are traditionally chosen to provide ethnic and religious balance to a ticket. " Really? Since when? How many ethnic or non-Protestant vice-president candidates have we had? Who is the idiot who wrote that?
As a conservative Catholic Republican I don't care what Rubio did when he was 8. EIGHT! If he is a Catholic now, that's enough for me. It's clear that this is just another liberally-biased article written to discredit a conservative. The author should know that one cannot be Catholic AND Mormon. If he was confirmed in the Catholic Church after "being a Mormon," he is Catholic.
and speaking of having "two minority religions" ... whatever that means. .... (I did not know all the Protestant denominations count as 1 religion)... How will NBC react if Santorum wins and picks Rubio? TWO CATHOLICS. That will scare the &^*&^&( out of the media. I want to see it. Catholic President, Vice-President, Speaker, and majority of the Supreme Court.... hopefully coming. :)
How many ethnic or non-Protestant vice-president candidates have we had? Well, Geraldine Ferraro (Catholic and Italian) and Joe Liebermann (Jewish) and Joe Biden (Catholic) come immediately to mind.
Ferraro was not chosen because she was Italian and Biden was not chosen because he is Catholic. He cannot call himself Catholic and be pro-abortion. 3 people does make a TRADITION. Tradition is more geographic and ideology balance.
RickC: I hate to burst your balloon, but polls have repeatedly shown the majority of American Catholics are pro-choice. A number of predominantly Catholic European and Latin American nations have legalized abortion (with much less restricted access to abortion than we have here in the US) in the past three decades.
WOW! Is this the same guy who lied about his parents being persecuted? Looks like another GOP politician.
A practicing black liberation theologist "Damning America" really hasn't been working all that well for our country???
I really don't want to see george soros as the father of our country and obama "king"???
obamazuela (oh bom ah zu wale ah) has a terrible ring to it!!!!
The president attended a church whose minister espoused black liberation theology for a number of years. I don't think it is accurate to describe the presiden as a theologian; he was a college professor, a community organizer, and a state senator before running for federal office, but I am unaware that he was a practicing theologian (or that he ever studied theology in college or law school).
MSNBC showing their true bigoted colors. Who cares if he went to mormon church. I thought it was the republicans who were supposed to be bigoted.
hoarde, Articles like this exist so the Moonbat Democrats can demonstrate that they are as much bigots, birthers and racists as they claim Republicans are.
Perhaps the seated president could take us back for a visit with the reverend wright, who acted as his spritual guide for years while preaching a hatred of the USA. You libtards slay me. Do you want a seperation of church and state or dont you?
Or maybe his childhood years in MUSLIM Schools in Indonesia?
Oops.......I forgot...Muslim is OK in the U.S.
My bad!
The Mormon and Roman Catholic churches are very similar. They are both religions headed up by 'infallible' patriarchs who issue controlling edicts and subjugate women. Not surprised the transition between them as a teenager was easy for Rubio.
And many of our public schools are very similar, indoctrinating our children into a system of financial and social bad behaviours! imagine a country that values the investment banker over the doctor? pffffft
NO surprise that the Lib Media is already attacking Rubio "in case" he becomes the VP candidate!
Seems like it is just OK to make fun of and criticize ANY Religion in this Country EXCEPT Muslims!
You name says it all....delusional at best....spread the wealth but you OWE me 1/2 of whatever it is you have.......if anything....I'd even take 1/2 of your welfare checks....but whatever you have I want 1/2 of it..remember that....If I have to share...so do you
Democrats have the symbol of the donkey for a reason.
254 MORE DAYS!!! to election day!!!
WE WILL END THE OBAMA ERROR!!
THAT IS WHAT DEMOCRACY WILL REALLY LOOK LIKE!!!!
Hard to believe that PMSNBC purports itself to be a news organization. The only news it reports is what Media Matters tells it to. The irrelevance of this story is overwhelming. Yet it fits PMSNBC's mission. To promote Left Wing wacko ideas as if they are main stream.
Yes and you have all those idiots on Fox news swimming around in your head. At least MSNBC people are intelligent and speak the truth!
Obama/Biden 2012 so suck it up!!
rushless: and Warren/Kucinich 2016!!
I'm all over that, Biden/Warren might be more realistic.
I'm really not that big a fan of Biden (too much of a warmonger for my taste) and he'd be too old then anyway.
Dear MSNBC - so WHAT?
Rubio is nothing more than another conservative, radical religious zealot, a closet member of the American Taliban.
Young, dumb and full of lies - perfect for the GOP!!!
I look at it as a non-issue since he was 8 years old at the time! As if he knew what he was doing at the time-maybe the news media should ask his parents if they knew he would run for political office.
This article and many responses is just another chance to bash Catholics. Blessed are the persecuted...
Well, well, His evil past at age thirteen has been revealed and he is to be hated by the liberals and the media for his sin.... Liberals are so intelligent, so passionate against all those evil non liberal people.... Normal people would have been embarrassed to make such crap and slime news....
This is an obvious attempt to smear the person Obama and Democrats are terrified of in the general election. Democrats need the Latino vote to win, and having Rubio on the ticket would lose them a lot of votes. But if they can smear him and convince Hispanics he isn’t really Catholic, problem solved right?
If we’re going to dig into the man’s past that far and try and make something irrelevant a headline story, at least TRY not to make the bias so obvious. A son born to a Muslim man is by Islamic law a Muslim. Obama’s father (and step-father for that matter) were Muslim. So, even if he practices Christianity, according to the logic behind this Rubio story, there should be headlines on MSNBC about Obama being Muslim when he was young. But no, the left would SCREAM racism if he was subjected to equal scrutiny, wouldn’t they?
Stupid. That’s the best word I can think of for this kind of “reporting.” I bet this backfires and strengthens support for Rubio instead of weakening it.
So, I should stop my financial support of missionary work in Africa and Asia as those conversions to Christianity are meaningless? It somehow doesn't matter what a person believes or practices after exposure to Christianity or coversion by a Witness or dedicating his or her life to Christ, if that person was born to one (non-practicing, I might note) Muslim parent, s/he is permanently a Muslim no matter what?