From Staff Reports

A story on the Billy Graham Evangelical Association website that called Mormonism a cult was removed following an Oct. 11 visit by GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney with the Rev. Billy Graham at the latter’s Montreat home.

Graham’s sudden change of mind on Mormons’ status, coupled with his endorsement of Romney, sparked an outcry — expressed in local news media — among some Democrats in the community who felt that a political deal had been made under the auspices of religion.

Romney paid Graham  a visit just prior to his Victory Rally at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Asheville. Graham, a 93-year-old world-renowned evangelist who is in frail health,  is considered highly influential among America’s evangelicals.

During the visit, Graham publically expressed his support for Romney’s presidential bid, pledging to do “all I can” to help him get elected.

Also attending the meeting was Franklin Graham, chief executive officer of the BGEA and the Billy Graham’s son.

Franklin Graham had raised questions about Romney’s Mormon faith during a February interview with MSNBC. When pressed at that time, the younger Graham declined to say whether Romney is a Christian.

“He is a Mormon,” Graham Franklin told MSNBC in February. “Most Christians would not recognize Mormonism ... but he would be a good president if he won the nomination.”

The BGEA’s article was removed from the website sometime after the meeting.

BGECA Chief of Staff Ken Barun told the Asheville Citizen-Times that the information was removed rom the website “because we do not wish to pariticpate in a theological debate about something that has become highly politicized during this campaign.”

Through a spokesman, Billy Graham said on Oct. 16 that he loves everyone, as Jesus did, and has friendships with people of other faiths, including Mormons.

A spokesman for Billy Graham added that, “although he is aware of theological differences among various groups, he is personally not in the business of labeling.”

The article removed from the website included as cults “Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, the Unification Church, Unitarians, Spiritists, Scientologists and others.”

In the aftermath, the Rev. Mark Ward, lead minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, wrote a letter to the editor that appears in this edition of the Daily Planet, asking that UUs also be removed from the cult list. Ward’s letter appers on Page 21.