Romney To Stress Separation Of Church — But Not Religion — And State
Mitt Romney is scheduled to give his long-awaited "JFK Speech" today at 10:30 a.m. ET, from the George H. W. Bush library at Texas A&M. The big question is whether he'll be able to assuage doubts among conservative evangelicals about his Mormon religion — some of whom might be drawn to the former Baptist minister in the race, Mike Huckabee.
Romney will acknowledge the separation of church and state in the speech, according to prepared excerpts provided to Election Central. But he will also give a conservative-friendly message that religion itself should be integral to politics, and that Mormonism shares "a common creed of moral convictions" with other sects. He will also declare, "Our greatness would not long endure without judges who respect the foundation of faith upon which our constitution rests."
More excerpts are available after the jump.
Excerpts Of Governor Romney's Remarks (As Prepared For Delivery):"There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they are at odds with the nation's founders, for they, when our nation faced its greatest peril, sought the blessings of the Creator. And further, they discovered the essential connection between the survival of a free land and the protection of religious freedom. In John Adam's words: 'We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion... Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people.'
"Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone."
…
"When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God. If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. A President must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States."
…
"There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church's distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes President he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths."
…
"It is important to recognize that while differences in theology exist between the churches in America, we share a common creed of moral convictions. And where the affairs of our nation are concerned, it's usually a sound rule to focus on the latter – on the great moral principles that urge us all on a common course. Whether it was the cause of abolition, or civil rights, or the right to life itself, no movement of conscience can succeed in America that cannot speak to the convictions of religious people.
"We separate church and state affairs in this country, and for good reason. No religion should dictate to the state nor should the state interfere with the free practice of religion. But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America – the religion of secularism. They are wrong.
"The founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square. We are a nation 'Under God' and in God, we do indeed trust.
"We should acknowledge the Creator as did the founders – in ceremony and word. He should remain on our currency, in our pledge, in the teaching of our history, and during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places. Our greatness would not long endure without judges who respect the foundation of faith upon which our constitution rests. I will take care to separate the affairs of government from any religion, but I will not separate us from 'the God who gave us liberty.'"
…
"These American values, this great moral heritage, is shared and lived in my religion as it is in yours. I was taught in my home to honor God and love my neighbor. I saw my father march with Martin Luther King. I saw my parents provide compassionate care to others, in personal ways to people nearby, and in just as consequential ways in leading national volunteer movements."
…
"My faith is grounded on these truths. You can witness them in Ann and my marriage and in our family. We are a long way from perfect and we have surely stumbled along the way, but our aspirations, our values, are the self -same as those from the other faiths that stand upon this common foundation. And these convictions will indeed inform my presidency."
...
"The diversity of our cultural expression, and the vibrancy of our religious dialogue, has kept America in the forefront of civilized nations even as others regard religious freedom as something to be destroyed.
"In such a world, we can be deeply thankful that we live in a land where reason and religion are friends and allies in the cause of liberty, joined against the evils and dangers of the day. And you can be certain of this: Any believer in religious freedom, any person who has knelt in prayer to the Almighty, has a friend and ally in me. And so it is for hundreds of millions of our countrymen: we do not insist on a single strain of religion - rather, we welcome our nation's symphony of faith."
Comments (20)
Terry wrote on December 6, 2007 9:26 AM:At the moment I am as "free" as Romney, yet I have no religion.
His insistence that there can be no freedom without religion sure sounds like a threat to me.
"[S]ymphony of faith, indeed." One is thankful for earplugs.
Anonymous wrote on December 6, 2007 9:30 AM:John Adams didn't sign the constitution...
This speech is really nothing more than typical repub BS about how religion is a corner stone of our Republic. If you actually read anything of substance written by the founders you clearly see that they made great pains to put as little emphasis on judeo/christian religion as possible... after all quite a few of them were deists.
That being said, the line about,
He should remain on our currency.... in the teaching of our history, and during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places is a slippery slope I am not willing to slide down.
NPR drew the comparison with JFK's speech about his catholicism today. JFK said that religion and the public space should be kept apart, while Romney suggests they should be intertwined, provided Mormans aren't discriminated against.
I liked Kennedy's version better.
Don B wrote on December 6, 2007 10:10 AM:Hurray for Romney!!! I actualy agree with him for once. No one should have to explain his faith to be president. Now if he could just see his way to allowing a muslim on his staff we could say he really MEANS what he says. But that is probably too much to ask for.
Primordial Ooze wrote on December 6, 2007 10:12 AM:Romney should not be president because, as a Merman, his loyalty will be to the ocean rather than to America.
mike wrote on December 6, 2007 10:26 AM:Primordial Ooze, will his loyalty be to the Atlantic or Pacific ocean. This is important to me since from the US perspective the Pacific would represent the western culture where the Atlantic would rep eastern philosophies. I think he should choose soon and then stick with his decision, otherwise he'll do as he does on so many subjects and we'll be seeing this Merman candidate flip flopping like a fish out of water.
joe wrote on December 6, 2007 10:28 AM:So Romney, after pandering to a constituency that remains willfully ignorant of the Constitution and the separation of church and state--suddenly remembers why that's such a good idea. Faced with the religious bigotry of the very people he appealed to, he now wants a pass for his own religion. And forget this nonsense about being free not to discuss the tenets of his faith: that's not what a "religious test" means; there's no reason his propositional beliefs (the garden of Eden is in Missouri...) shouldn't be subject to public scrutiny. He's about as big a clown as they could come up with, barring the current one.
-joe
This should be a neat trick. According to Mitt a president should have faith and be religious. (There's no freedom without it!) But no one should ask about the actual theology of the religion the president is supposed to have. That would constitute a religious test, which we can't have.
Huh. I guess the idea is that a president has to be religious but there can't be a test about it. This speech is utter nonsense. Consequently, I fully expect the press coverage to be: Romney made a speech. Just like Kennedy. Yeah! (There may be the stray evangelical quote about remaining unconvinced, I just don't expect any analysis of the totally contradictory points in the speech or the fact that it is almost the exact opposite of Kennedy's speech in everything but goal.)
ronald wrote on December 6, 2007 10:38 AM:Even before the speech, the Giuliani team already has a response. They're unbelievable that campaign. Reminiscent of their Florida debate video. Anyone know which firm they're using? Here's a link.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=C6ZmZizWTy4
Hugh Gordon wrote on December 6, 2007 10:38 AM:And you can be certain of this: Any believer in religious freedom, any person who has knelt in prayer to the Almighty, has a friend and ally in me.
Hmm, doubtful.
This speech of course betrays a complete lack of understanding of why the founders thought it important to include the establishment clause in the Bill of Rights.
cynical jim wrote on December 6, 2007 10:39 AM:I'm quite amazed that the senile (or is that supposed to be senior?) Bush would introduce the Mittster. I thought The Family was keeping out of current politics. What does this mean for the Draft JEB movement?
ronald wrote on December 6, 2007 10:59 AM:It means that the Bushes biggest fear is a McCain victory as he holds a very personal grudge against them. Did you check out the Giuliani response? http://youtube.com/watch?v=C6ZmZizWTy4
Bill H. wrote on December 6, 2007 11:01 AM:
"A man compounded of law and gospel is able to cheat a whole country with his religion and then destroy them under color of law." --Benjamin Franklin (aka Silence Dogood)
Why, oh why, have we allowed the 'pugs to hijack the moral arguments when it comes to the Presidency? A good person is simply a good person, so why do we have to include religion in the debate on moral character? Why is THIS litmus test okay for the 'pugs but the pro-choice litmus test for the Supreme Court is considered taboo and immoral?
Why can't someone just say to these candidates:
"Regardless of your religious affiliation, what can you say to convince voters that you are NOT an immoral, conniving, lying sack of crap?" Now that's a debate I'd pay attention to.
Anonymous wrote on December 6, 2007 11:52 AM:"during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places"
Is Romney afraid to mention Christmas in his speech? As you know, Jesus is the reason for the holiday season.
It sounds to me like Romney has just taken the wrong side in the War on Christmas!
An Outhouse wrote on December 6, 2007 12:51 PM:"why do we have to include religion in the debate on moral character?"
Because the reThugs have no moral character. They have to hide behind some ideology in order to live with themselves.
"convince voters that you are NOT an immoral, conniving, lying sack of crap"
Speaking of which, how about that soulless , psychopathic Huckleberry spreading lies on CNN or wherever? How long before we find out he screws teenage boys too?
domkom wrote on December 6, 2007 1:06 PM:My fave from Romney's speech:
"Americans tire of those who would jettison their beliefs, even to gain the world."
Ergo, we are long tired of you, sir.
TQTGA wrote on December 6, 2007 1:34 PM:So many errors!
1) A president serves "only" the common cause of the people? What if you had previously pledged obedience to God or the Mormon Prophet in your secret temple oath? Wouldn't that take priority?
2) Secularism is not a religion: my practice of not collecting baseball cards is not a hobby.
3) Most of our coins did not have god-affirming quotations until the Cold War godless commie scares of the 1950's. There was also a Catholic who lobbied Eisenhower to push for the changes.
4) The original Pledge of Allegiance did not contain "under God" and it was created to help sell flags. It also had a tinge of anti-immigrant racism.
5) God--not the government--gave us liberty? All of us? What about the slaves owned by Jefferson and the other founders? They didn't get any liberty from God. In fact, when their descendents eventually got liberty, it came from amendments (i.e. government) not deity-engraved stone tablets.
6) Reason and religion are friends and allies? Ask Gallileo about that.
7) The "danger of the day" that you are euphemizing is jihadism and that is an outgrowth from a religion--not from reason.
"we welcome our nation's symphony of faith."
Except Muslims. We're tone-deaf to them and they want to ruin our way of life. And who gets to conduct this symphony?
"Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life." -Dogwhistle for the Christianists. Our founding fathers did not want religion in the "public square". They saw what religion did for the public square in Europe.
Mitt and the other candidates should read the Jesus quote in Matthew 6:5-
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, do into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."
No one should have to justify his religious faith as a litmus test for the presidency. OTOH, if you spend a major part of your campaign pandering to an extreme segment of your party that puts religion, their religion, as the most important factor of a person's qualification for president, then you get what you deserve - a harsh spotlight shined on your beliefs. Romney has chosen to be such a panderer, and is getting his just desserts.
