Desperate Mormons 'in dire need of a miracle' are fasting for Romney

An increasing number of the devotees of Mitt Romney's Mormon religion are scrambling for divine intervention now that polls show that their candidate's chances of taking the White House are quickly fading.

The Salt Lake Tribune on Thursday pointed out a chain email being sent out by Romney supporters -- which was not sanctioned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- that called for mass fasting to help the first Mormon presidential nominee.

"I have been extremely frustrated with how things are going in our country," an email posted by Brigham Young off-campus newspaper The Student Review said. "A lot of my frustration is because I feel I don’t know what to do to really make a change. Well, this time I do. I am asking you to join me and my family on Sunday Sept. 30 by fasting and praying for Mitt Romney. That he will be blessed in the debates, which will be held Oct. 3rd."

"I know that fasting and praying brings about miracles. I also know of no power greater that our Father in Heaven. He loves this land and has blessed it many times before... with all our fasting and prayers their will be a great power and protection upon us and this great nation."

"Please send this to all who you know that may have the faith to pray for the help we so desperately need at this time," the author pleaded. "Please let this wave of faith move through out this great nation."

A second email added: "I cannot tell you how scared I am for the future of our country and the fact that I am graduating this year and that this is my first opportunity to vote I feel it is my duty to learn and do all I can in order to be best prepared for the coming election. ... The last four years have been stressful, unpredictable, and quite disappointing with less jobs, less money, more debt, and less national security. What I do know is that Mitt Romney is a worthy priesthood-holding leader who has the potential to do a lot of good for our country."

"I know the Lord takes worthy men and makes them qualified for miraculous experiences. Quite frankly, we are all in in dire need of a miracle in this country. Mitt has made opportunities for many companies and projects that have benefitted hundreds of thousands of people."

BuzzFeed's McKay Coppins noted that Mormons fast for 24 hours without food or water to ask God for special blessings but the ritual is not normally political.

For its part, the LDS Church denied being involved in planning the fast.

"The fast was apparently organized by a handful of individuals, not the church," spokesperson Scott Trotter told the Salt Lake Tribune on Wednesday. "The church is neutral in matters of party politics."

But last week, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints accused church leadership of going on a witch hunt against him after he criticized Romney.

David Twede told The Daily Beast that he felt “attacked, cornered, and very anxious” as the church officials informed him that they had scheduled a Sept. 30 excommunication “for apostasy.”

ABC News has reported that the Mormon church was urging members in Nevada to speak “with one voice” during the presidential election.

“Any Mormon would understand exactly what’s being said there,” Dartmouth religion professor Randall Balmer observed. “This is very thinly coded language.”

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