The Face the Nation interview, broadcast Sunday over Salt Lake City's KUTV and other stations nationwide in the CBS network, may have been Romney's most candid about his religion.

Romney -- who ran Utah's 2002 Winter Games -- does say he believes the LDS Church's teachings literally, but as president he would not take his orders from Mormon leaders.

Polls have shown that many Americans would not vote for a Mormon presidential candidate.

"I think the reason that some 28, 29 percent are not comfortable voting for a Mormon is they think they're voting for Harry Reid," Romney quipped. "But that's not the case."

Reid, the Senate's Democratic majority leader, is also Mormon.

Romney, who has recently received support from conservative Christian figure Bob Jones III, stressed that backing is not an endorsement of his faith.

"I'm not expecting him to endorse my faith. I'm not asking anyone to do that. I'm only asking him to look at me as an American and judge my values, learn about me and my family, my character," Romney told Face the Nation.

In 2004 the LDS Church came out in favor of a constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between a man and a woman.

Romney said he supports that ideal, too, but if elected president would put the Constitution and laws of the land first.

"My church wouldn't endeavor to tell me what do, and I wouldn't listen to them on an issue related to our nation," Romney said. "If I become president of the United States, and put my hand on the Bible, I do what the Constitution tells me, what the rule of law tells me. I certainly don't do what a leader of my church or any other church tells me to do."

Also in the interview with Bob Schieffer Romney said he sees no conflict between religion and science when it comes to the origin of the human species.