Posted on 12/06/2007 10:13:20 AM PST by Reaganesque
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Romney Press Shop (857) 288-6390
College Station, TX – Speaking at The George Bush Presidential Library, Governor Romney addressed the American people about his views on religious liberty, our country's grand tradition of religious tolerance and how faith would inform his Presidency.
Governor Romney's "Faith In America" Address (As Prepared For Delivery):
"Thank you, Mr. President, for your kind introduction.
"It is an honor to be here today. This is an inspiring place because of you and the First Lady and because of the film exhibited across the way in the Presidential library. For those who have not seen it, it shows the President as a young pilot, shot down during the Second World War, being rescued from his life-raft by the crew of an American submarine. It is a moving reminder that when America has faced challenge and peril, Americans rise to the occasion, willing to risk their very lives to defend freedom and preserve our nation. We are in your debt. Thank you, Mr. President.
"Mr. President, your generation rose to the occasion, first to defeat Fascism and then to vanquish the Soviet Union. You left us, your children, a free and strong America. It is why we call yours the greatest generation. It is now my generation's turn. How we respond to today's challenges will define our generation. And it will determine what kind of America we will leave our children, and theirs.
"America faces a new generation of challenges. Radical violent Islam seeks to destroy us. An emerging China endeavors to surpass our economic leadership. And we are troubled at home by government overspending, overuse of foreign oil, and the breakdown of the family.
"Over the last year, we have embarked on a national debate on how best to preserve American leadership. Today, I wish to address a topic which I believe is fundamental to America's greatness: our religious liberty. I will also offer perspectives on how my own faith would inform my Presidency, if I were elected.
"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 Adams' 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.
"Given our grand tradition of religious tolerance and liberty, some wonder whether there are any questions regarding an aspiring candidate's religion that are appropriate. I believe there are. And I will answer them today.
"Almost 50 years ago another candidate from Massachusetts explained that he was an American running for President, not a Catholic running for President. Like him, I am an American running for President. I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith.
"Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions. Their authority is theirs, within the province of church affairs, and it ends where the affairs of the nation begin.
"As Governor, I tried to do the right as best I knew it, serving the law and answering to the Constitution. I did not confuse the particular teachings of my church with the obligations of the office and of the Constitution – and of course, I would not do so as President. I will put no doctrine of any church above the plain duties of the office and the sovereign authority of the law.
"As a young man, Lincoln described what he called America's 'political religion' – the commitment to defend the rule of law and the Constitution. 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 for whom these commitments are not enough. They would prefer it if I would simply distance myself from my religion, say that it is more a tradition than my personal conviction, or disavow one or another of its precepts. That I will not do. I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it. My faith is the faith of my fathers – I will be true to them and to my beliefs.
"Some believe that such a confession of my faith will sink my candidacy. If they are right, so be it. But I think they underestimate the American people. Americans do not respect believers of convenience. Americans tire of those who would jettison their beliefs, even to gain the world.
"There is one fundamental question about which I often am asked. What do I believe about Jesus Christ? I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. My church's beliefs about Christ may not all be the same as those of other faiths. Each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. These are not bases for criticism but rather a test of our tolerance. Religious tolerance would be a shallow principle indeed if it were reserved only for faiths with which we agree.
"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.
"I believe that every faith I have encountered draws its adherents closer to God. And in every faith I have come to know, there are features I wish were in my own: I love the profound ceremony of the Catholic Mass, the approachability of God in the prayers of the Evangelicals, the tenderness of spirit among the Pentecostals, the confident independence of the Lutherans, the ancient traditions of the Jews, unchanged through the ages, and the commitment to frequent prayer of the Muslims. As I travel across the country and see our towns and cities, I am always moved by the many houses of worship with their steeples, all pointing to heaven, reminding us of the source of life's blessings.
"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.'
"Nor would I separate us from our religious heritage. Perhaps the most important question to ask a person of faith who seeks a political office, is this: does he share these American values: the equality of human kind, the obligation to serve one another, and a steadfast commitment to liberty?
"They are not unique to any one denomination. They belong to the great moral inheritance we hold in common. They are the firm ground on which Americans of different faiths meet and stand as a nation, united.
"We believe that every single human being is a child of God – we are all part of the human family. The conviction of the inherent and inalienable worth of every life is still the most revolutionary political proposition ever advanced. John Adams put it that we are 'thrown into the world all equal and alike.'
"The consequence of our common humanity is our responsibility to one another, to our fellow Americans foremost, but also to every child of God. It is an obligation which is fulfilled by Americans every day, here and across the globe, without regard to creed or race or nationality.
"Americans acknowledge that liberty is a gift of God, not an indulgence of government. No people in the history of the world have sacrificed as much for liberty. The lives of hundreds of thousands of America's sons and daughters were laid down during the last century to preserve freedom, for us and for freedom loving people throughout the world. America took nothing from that Century's terrible wars – no land from Germany or Japan or Korea; no treasure; no oath of fealty. America's resolve in the defense of liberty has been tested time and again. It has not been found wanting, nor must it ever be. America must never falter in holding high the banner of freedom.
"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. I am moved by the Lord's words: 'For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me...'
"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.
"Today's generations of Americans have always known religious liberty. Perhaps we forget the long and arduous path our nation's forbearers took to achieve it. They came here from England to seek freedom of religion. But upon finding it for themselves, they at first denied it to others. Because of their diverse beliefs, Ann Hutchinson was exiled from Massachusetts Bay, a banished Roger Williams founded Rhode Island, and two centuries later, Brigham Young set out for the West. Americans were unable to accommodate their commitment to their own faith with an appreciation for the convictions of others to different faiths. In this, they were very much like those of the European nations they had left.
"It was in Philadelphia that our founding fathers defined a revolutionary vision of liberty, grounded on self evident truths about the equality of all, and the inalienable rights with which each is endowed by his Creator.
"We cherish these sacred rights, and secure them in our Constitutional order. Foremost do we protect religious liberty, not as a matter of policy but as a matter of right. There will be no established church, and we are guaranteed the free exercise of our religion.
"I'm not sure that we fully appreciate the profound implications of our tradition of religious liberty. I have visited many of the magnificent cathedrals in Europe. They are so inspired ... so grand ... so empty. Raised up over generations, long ago, so many of the cathedrals now stand as the postcard backdrop to societies just too busy or too 'enlightened' to venture inside and kneel in prayer. The establishment of state religions in Europe did no favor to Europe's churches. And though you will find many people of strong faith there, the churches themselves seem to be withering away.
"Infinitely worse is the other extreme, the creed of conversion by conquest: violent Jihad, murder as martyrdom... killing Christians, Jews, and Muslims with equal indifference. These radical Islamists do their preaching not by reason or example, but in the coercion of minds and the shedding of blood. We face no greater danger today than theocratic tyranny, and the boundless suffering these states and groups could inflict if given the chance.
"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.
"Recall the early days of the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, during the fall of 1774. With Boston occupied by British troops, there were rumors of imminent hostilities and fears of an impending war. In this time of peril, someone suggested that they pray. But there were objections. 'They were too divided in religious sentiments', what with Episcopalians and Quakers, Anabaptists and Congregationalists, Presbyterians and Catholics.
"Then Sam Adams rose, and said he would hear a prayer from anyone of piety and good character, as long as they were a patriot.
"And so together they prayed, and together they fought, and together, by the grace of God ... they founded this great nation.
"In that spirit, let us give thanks to the divine 'author of liberty.' And together, let us pray that this land may always be blessed, 'with freedom's holy light.'
"God bless the United States of America."
Given the opportunity, I like to read a transcript first. Words mean things.
So, I read the transcript thoroughly first. It’s full of holes, but also unbelievable, considering its source.
Now I’m actually watching. Canned and memorized pap. Sophomoric. Smarmy. Theologically shallow. Bleh.
Frankly, when you watch the smarmy words of Mitt Romney in this speech, while knowing his actual record, it very quickly becomes an obscenity.
Once again for the lurkers, who is it you're supporting for the presidency?
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I don’t know if I agree or not, this is a high compliment you pay, but; This speech was as good or better than any politician I have ever heard in my nearly 60 years. I have met the likes of both president Bushes, Al Gore, President Reagan and many other national big wigs. None of them have ever given a more well delivered more inspirational speech. His words and delivery made my eyes moist when I contemplated the meaning of them. That is what leaders do, they motivate others to the work that needs to be done in a given situation. I think Mr. Romney motivated me to switch from being a Fred Head to being a Romney believer.
When I hear the misrepresentations about Mr. Romney here on this thread I have to wonder about the motivations of those that do it. I think most of us on this site know a bigot when we see one or read one.
When Mr. Romney has the opportunity to speak on the same stage as Mrs Clinton it will be easy to see who is the real leader, Mrs. Clinton won’t be able to carry water for Mr. Romney.
It is not likely that this speech will win anybody the election but it is a defining moment in American politics, it said things that have needed to be said for a couple of decades at least but have been politically incorrect to say. Mr. Romney said those things in a logical convincing way without being critical or hurting most peoples feelings. Perhaps he doesen’t worship God the same way I do but it is obvious that he worships God.
I think what I saw in that speech was a great man saying what we needed to hear.
His speech affected me the same way. It is the same effect Reagan's speeches had on me. You are so right. It is important as a leader to have the ability to motivate people to good and sincere action through the transmission of pure and lofty ideals.
"I think Mr. Romney motivated me to switch from being a Fred Head to being a Romney believer."
How wonderful! Welcome aboard. It would not be surprising if there were many more like you. : )
Charles, you’re right to an extent. But, you just “dissed” the hams too. Saying that the GOVERNMENT can “professionally man” those systems is what I’m talking about.
First off, I AM a professional communicator, did it for 26 years with the government. I’m also a ham. Hams are for the most part more professional than those the government will hire.
What you’re failing to understand and realize is that systems FAIL in disasters. You can put up the best, and most expensive systems, that can do whatever you want. But when floods, fires and hurricanes take out the antennas and the systems, there’s nothing you can do about that, and you need help.
Hams aren’t the first line guys. They are BACK UP.
They always will be BACK UP. We have a saying... “When all else fails, Amateur Radio is there”.
That’s what I’m trying to get you folks to see, and acknowledge.
Anyone who sits there and says “we shouldn’t count on the hams” simply is misunderstanding the problem. I expect, and KNOW that local and regional EOCs DO depend on Hams. The INCORPORATE them into the training for the region.
Want to know why?>
Because we are a resource that has our own equipment that tends to show up when needed, and the training and exercises keep the hams ready to go.
Almost all emergency operations centers around the country employ hams at some level of operations and planning. Many of the “government operators” ARE hams.
You guys can sit there and say “We need this or that”, but without the funding applied to those systems, you’re not going to get it.
When you chose one and only one type of intercommunications, you do not NOT have diversity of communications, thus you have weak links and single-points-of-failure.
Right now, for a fact, the government has put in 800-900 mhz digital trunking systems throughout this SW region. People are supposed to be able to inter-communicate between fire, police agencies, federal agencies and the military.
Guess what? It isn’t working. It looks fantastic on paper. In real life, things like that fail because the systems are now overloaded, they aren’t being used as they were intended, and they get “busy” now, just like a cell phone system.
When 9-11 happened, the cell phones mostly went out. Too many people calling. Jammed the phone lines and the cell towers. Hams came in and brought external communications systems that were NOT dependent on city systems. They got messages out.
Hams helped save thousands of lives when Katrina hit, because government infrastructure FAILED.
This PAST WEEK Ham radio operators again came to the rescue when GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS FAILED>
Learn from mistakes, learn from history and understand that Mitt made a mistake. Better yet, tell MITT he made a mistake and he needs to rethink his “the government can do it all” — because that’s MONEY out of OUR pockets.
I’m willing to bring my radio systems, and operate PROFESSIONALLY (as an amateur who is NOT getting paid) and provide whatever I have as a resource when the emergency/disaster hits. What I’m NOT willing to do is have my taxes raises to support a government run, government funded radio communications or internet system that will fail when it is needed the most.
By the way, at least *I* have a legitimate reason to NOT vote for him. This religion nonsense is a waste of time.
I don’t care if he is a Mormon, Christian, or Jew... As long as he does his job as PRESIDENT and doesn’t dictate how I go to church (or do not).
(I won’t be voting for a Muslim, yes, I’m prejudiced against them for now. Unless, and until they start standing up AGAINST their fellow Muslims that are creating all the hate and discontent against the West, and Jews in general, there’s no way I’d vote for one). How’s that for a statement.
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"All of this that people are saying reveals partisan thinking, the thinking of those who support another candidate, not seriously thinking about the nature of the process here and what Romney was trying to do with the speech. They’re looking at this strictly within the confines of a political speech, and I think it went beyond those bounds. The critics — I guess it’s quite natural — they put their own agenda into this speech. He didn’t talk about taxes, they’re saying, he didn’t talk about electability. This wasn’t a speech about taxes. This wasn’t a speech about electability. It wasn’t a speech about policy. It was a speech about American values, what binds us together as a people and as a nation and what will continue to bind us together in the future as a nation.
I have to tell you, I don’t endorse candidates in primaries, and this is not an endorsement. I’ve said this repeatedly. But Romney, throughout all of this — you try running around having your religion attacked and threatened and lied about every day, folks, and not get bitter, and Mitt Romney has not been bitter. He has not gotten angry. He easily could have. He’s kept a positive outlook and approach, despite being demeaned and doubted in ways that no other candidate has had to deal with."
-Rush Limbaugh
Have a good one.
This is my first and only comment on “the speech.”
It was excellent. In every facet. I am not likely to vote for Romney any more NOW (in the primary) than I was before, but it has nothing to do with his religion. If he’s nominated I will vote for him and send money.
I cannot say the same of Trudy or McAmnesty.
Very nicely stated. I was lucky enough to see and hear Mitt speak in person on two previous occasions and both times his speech hit me quite the same way this speech did yesterday. I was sold way back when. I knew he was what our country needs. I am so glad he got the opportunity to showcase his leadership potential and his inspirational qualities for everyone else to see so that, hopefully, many people will come to recognize what I have always known.
Let's hope.
Agree 100% ... and I'm glad that it's become the focus in part of this campaign ... but there's a lighter side to the issue as well ... The Atheist. An atheist was walking through the woods. “What majestic trees”! “What powerful rivers”! “What beautiful animals”! He said to himself. As he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot grizzly bear charge towards him. He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder & saw that the bear was closing in on him. He looked over his shoulder again, & the bear was even closer. He tripped & fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw that the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw & raising his right paw to strike him. At that instant the Atheist cried out, “Oh my God!” Time Stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent. As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky. “You deny my existence for all these years, teach others I don’t exist and even credit creation to cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer”? The atheist looked directly into the light, “It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps you could make the BEAR a Christian”? “Very well,” said the voice. The light went out. The sounds of the forest resumed. And the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed his head & spoke: “Lord bless this food, which I am about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen.”
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