Mitt Romney and Mormonism

I recently ran across this video on YouTube.  It is a candid and off-air conversation between Mitt Romney and a radio personality about his Mormon faith.  As someone who is not Mormon and not particularly knowledgeable about this faith, I wish Romney would have talked more about it in this election. It's interesting that this conversation took place off the air, and that he hasn't been willing to discuss it in a public forum in any detail.

I understand that there is a separation between church and state in our country, and I believe that someone's religion should not be the sole reason you vote for or against a candidate. It really should have little effect on the decision.  But I also believe that it's foolish to believe that someone's religion does not have any bearing on their policies.  Mitt Romney is also someone that is very devout, and has held many leadership positions within the church.  I think it would be hard for someone like that to divorce himself completely from his faith when making policy decisions, especially those that deal with what could be considered moral issues.

I think many people are curious about the Mormon faith, even more so now that Romney is running for office. One of the biggest examples I have seen about this curiosity is this IAMA thread on reddit.  The person behind this IAmA is a former Mormon who does his best to answer the MANY questions people have posted here.

I think the media has largely avoided the topic, and Romney has not addressed the topic himself in detail.  Why is that? Has the media avoided the topic because faith is always a hard discussion to have, especially in conjunction with politics?  Or does it have more to do with not wanting to offend Romney and other Mormons?

I would think that someone that is considered a leader in his faith would be eager to use this opportunity to share his beliefs, even if it's just on a basic level.  There are a lot of rumors and probably false information out there about Mormonism (as this video shows), and I'm surprised that Romney has not wanted to use this election to dispel at least some of this misinformation. And when someone shows genuine curiosity about the faith, why not address it publicly and help people understand the more confusing aspects about Mormonism?  Why get defensive and upset?  I feel like being open about his beliefs would probably make people less curious about it, and give people a better understanding about who Mitt Romney is as a person and a candidate.