It is worrisome when theological disputes involving any candidate's religious faith overshadow his or her positions on issues, general qualifications or record in office.

The Romney campaign was flawed in many ways and was not sunk by anti-Mormonism alone. But our concern is magnified by a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll taken in late January which revealed that 50 percent of Americans said they would have "some reservations" or be "very uncomfortable" about a Mormon as president. That is a surprisingly high number.

In a story Feb. 8, The Journal reported, "Mr. Romney's campaign exposed a surprisingly virulent strain of anti-Mormonism that had been largely hidden to the general public." The story also reported that leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Mormons generally, had been taken aback by the volume and viciousness of the attacks on their faith triggered by Romney's campaign.

Many of these attacks came from Southern Baptists who generally support Mike Huckabee and consider Mormons to be non-Christians or heretical or members of a cult.

It was surprising to us that fundamentalist Christians found it an acceptable political strategy to undermine Romney's campaign by attacking his LDS faith. This despite the fact that Utah has been one of the most reliably Republican strongholds in the nation and preferred George W. Bush by larger margins in the two past elections than any other state.

Confronted by these assaults, the LDS Church and its members have mostly played vigorous defense, standing up for their beliefs but not stooping to attacks in kind.

Perhaps they understand something about playing with fire that their tormentors do not. The same poll that quantified Americans' reservations about a Mormon president also said that about 45 percent of Americans have concerns about an evangelical Christian as president.

All of which seems to us to confirm the wisdom of the nation's founders that politics and religion are a volatile mix that should be avoided whenever possible, and that religious tolerance is the wisest way to promote a peaceful, civil society.