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Romney: No religious test for president
Says ‘moral convictions,’ not his Mormon faith, bind him to Americans
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Romney on his Mormon faith Dec. 6: Mitt Romney makes a landmark speech on religious freedom and how his Mormon faith would inform his presidency. MSNBC |
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Republican Mitt Romney, confronting voters' skepticism about his Mormon faith, declared Thursday that as president he would "serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause," and said calls for him to explain and justify his religious beliefs go against the profound wishes of the nation's founders.
At the same time, he decried those who would remove from public life "any acknowledgment of God," and he said that "during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places."
In a speech delivered at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum less than a month before the first nomination primaries, Romney said he shares "moral convictions" with Americans of all faiths, though surveys suggest up to half of likely voters have qualms about electing the first Mormon president.
"There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church's distinctive doctrines," Romney said. "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."
"When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God," Romney said in a pledge echoing the famous speech Democrat John F. Kennedy made in 1960 when he was seeking to become the first Catholic elected president.
"If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause and no one interest," Romney said. "A president must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States."
More broadly, Romney sought to allay concerns of Christian conservatives, some of whom have propelled Mike Huckabee, a one-time Southern Baptist minister, to join Romney atop the polls in Iowa, which kicks off presidential voting next month.
Huckabee, who was a Southern Baptist preacher before entering politics, said Thursday that Romney's religion has no bearing on whether he would make a good president.
"I think it's a matter of what his views are - whether they are consistent, whether they are authentic, just like mine are," Huckabee told NBC's "Today." "If I had actions that were completely opposite of my Christian faith, then I would think people would have reason to doubt if this part of my life, which is supposed to be so important, doesn't influence me. Then they would have to question whether or not there are other areas of my life that lack that authenticity as well.
"It has nothing to do with what faith a person has - it's whether or not that person's life is consistent with how he lives it."
"It is important to recognize that, while differences in theology exist between the churches in America, we share a common creed of moral convictions," said Romney.
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The former Massachusetts governor also sought to use the occasion to sound a call for greater religious thought in daily civic life.
"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," Romney said.
"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," he added.
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