Posted by
Conservative Wordsmith on Wednesday, December 05, 2007 10:48:33 PM
Conservative Wordsmith Susan Baldwin writes: Mitt Romney is preparing to give what could possibly turn out to be the speech of his career.* This religious speech could be the determining factor that will decide whether evangelical Christians today are more tolerant or less tolerant than they were in 1968, when Mitt Romney's father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney, ran for president. No one at that time seemed to care much about his dad's Mormon faith.
Will today's evangelical Christians prove themselves to be less tolerant? I would like to think that people have evolved in their understanding of tolerance, rather than devolved.
"The address, planned for Thursday at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas, will focus on the role of religion in American society."
"Romney's staff announced the speech Sunday, after months of debate at his Boston headquarters over whether to make a public address about his religion. They insisted the decision was made by Romney last week, before the latest polls were released."
"Nonetheless, the address comes as Romney's bid is threatened in Iowa by underdog Mike Huckabee. The ex-governor of Arkansas and one-time Southern Baptist minister has rallied influential Christian conservatives to erase Romney's monthslong lead and turn the race into a dead-heat."
"The speech — titled 'Faith in America' — and the Texas site recall the address John F. Kennedy made in Houston as he sought to explain his faith during the 1960 campaign and become the first Catholic president."
"Polls show the race a toss up. Just a month ago Romney held a wide lead and Huckabee trailed in the single digits. Huckabee has surged in large part by rallying the GOP's religious right wing."
"Last week, Huckabee sought to exploit Romney's weaknesses — his Mormon faith and his reversal on abortion as well as shifts on other issues — by running a TV ad in Iowa that emphasizes his own religious beliefs. The ad doesn't mention Romney but clearly targets him."
"'Faith doesn't just influence me. It really defines me. I don't have to wake up every day wondering what do I need to believe,'" Huckabee says in TV ad. "'Let us never sacrifice our principles for anybody's politics. Not now, not ever.'"
"But Huckabee, in an interview on ABC's 'This Week,' took a pass when asked if Mormonism contradicts the central teachings of Christianity."
"Romney, for his part, sought Friday to strengthen his own support among religious and social conservatives, meeting with members of the grassroots network the Iowa Christian Alliance in Dubuque, Iowa."
"'I am pro-life. I am pro-family,'" Romney told them. "'If I am the president of the United States — and frankly even if I'm not — I will work hard and tirelessly to preserve marriage as an institution, which is fundamental to the preservation of this great land.'"
Thanks to
Mormon Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney
Prepares to Give Speech on Faith
Monday, December 03, 2007
for the above story and quotations.
You may click this link to read the entire article.
Related Links
Address of Senator John F. Kennedy
to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association -
Click this link to read the text and/or listen to an audio clip of Kennedy's address on religion and religious intolerance.
Rice Hotel, Houston Texas
September 12, 1960
http://www.mittromney.com/
http://www.mittromney.com/
Ann-Romney/index
http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/
http://www.mittreport.com/
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*The original date of this revised post was
December 3, 2007.
Conservative Wordsmith Susan Baldwin, author of the Conservative Wordsmith Weblog, appreciates your thoughts and comments.