Election News and Features
Romney Discusses Mormon Faith
December 06, 2007 02:30 PM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
In a speech entitled "Faith in America," Mitt Romney focuses on the common ground Mormonism has with other religions and refrains from describing the tenets of his faith in detail.
Email This30-Second Summary
On Dec. 6, in a much anticipated address, Mitt Romney explained that despite the strength of his religious convictions, his faith will not dictate his presidency, if elected.
"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," Romney stated.
Political pundits have compared this moment in Romney’s campaign to the time, on Sept. 12, 1960, when John F. Kennedy spoke to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association about being a Catholic and presidential candidate.
Kennedy explained, “I am not the Catholic candidate for president. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for president who happens also to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my church on public matters—and the church does not speak for me.”
In a recent forum on Mormonism and politics organized by independent think tank the Pew Foundation, Richard Bushman, author of several books about Mormon history, explained his views on the subject: “I believe that we should truly be able to lay aside fears that Romney will receive directions from Salt Lake City. There is nothing in the record of the past century that would lead one to think otherwise.”
In comparison to most of the world's major religions, Mormonism was founded relatively recently, in the 1900s, by Joseph Smith, who led a band of followers from New York to Ohio to Missouri, and then to Illinois, where close-knit communities were established.
Following the murder of Smith by a mob in 1844, the Mormons were led by Brigham Young to settle in Utah. They abandoned the practice of polygamy in 1890.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the full title of the Mormon church, states that it has 12,868,606 members worldwide.
"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," Romney stated.
Political pundits have compared this moment in Romney’s campaign to the time, on Sept. 12, 1960, when John F. Kennedy spoke to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association about being a Catholic and presidential candidate.
Kennedy explained, “I am not the Catholic candidate for president. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for president who happens also to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my church on public matters—and the church does not speak for me.”
In a recent forum on Mormonism and politics organized by independent think tank the Pew Foundation, Richard Bushman, author of several books about Mormon history, explained his views on the subject: “I believe that we should truly be able to lay aside fears that Romney will receive directions from Salt Lake City. There is nothing in the record of the past century that would lead one to think otherwise.”
In comparison to most of the world's major religions, Mormonism was founded relatively recently, in the 1900s, by Joseph Smith, who led a band of followers from New York to Ohio to Missouri, and then to Illinois, where close-knit communities were established.
Following the murder of Smith by a mob in 1844, the Mormons were led by Brigham Young to settle in Utah. They abandoned the practice of polygamy in 1890.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the full title of the Mormon church, states that it has 12,868,606 members worldwide.
Headline Link: ‘Faith in America’
According to The Washington Post’s blog, the Fix, the speech worked well for Romney when he stuck to the common ground Mormonism shares with other religions as well as the importance of the separation of church and state. According to the Post, what didn’t work so well were his infrequent use of the term Mormon (he used it once), the lack of specifics, and the timing of his speech.
Source: The Fix
Matt Stuart of ABC News examines Romney’s speech and the reasons why Romney gave the address after stating less than a month ago that there was no need for such a declaration. Stuart speculates that Romney gave the speech in reaction to presidential candidate Governor Mike Huckabee’s rise in the polls. It is thought Huckabee's surge in the most recent polls is due in part to a new television ad in which Huckabee is depicted as a “Christian leader.”
Source: ABC News
Background: Comparing the predicaments of JFK and Romney
Prior to the speech, many political pundits compared Romney’s talk to that given by President John F. Kennedy’s on Catholicism in 1960. Time asserts that Mitt Romney cannot distance himself from religion in the same way as his predecessor because he has to count on evangelical votes. Instead, Time argues, Romney needs to reframe the argument: “His challenge is to draw the lines about what's relevant and what's not.”
Source: Time
Writer Andrew O'Hehir wrote a piece for Salon published on the day of Huckabee's speech with the title "This Is Not Romney's Kennedy Moment." O'Hehir argues that Romney's faith has now become the central issue of his campaign, "and some of that is no one's fault but Mitt Romney's." Kennedy's solution to the problem posed by his Catholic faith was, according to this article, to take religion off the table by emphasizing the secular nature of the American constitution; Romney doesn't have that option because the fundamentalist base of the GOP wouldn't allow it.
Source: Salon
Historical Links: JFK’s 1960 speech and the contemporaneous press
On Sept. 12, 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy delivered a speech about being Catholic and a presidential candidate to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association. Kennedy explained, “I am not the Catholic candidate for president. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for president who happens also to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my church on public matters––and the church does not speak for me.”
Source: John F. Kennedy Library
In 1959, Time ran an article entitled “Can a Catholic Win?” regarding then Senator John F. Kennedy’s chances of being elected U.S. president. At that time, Americans polled were asked, "If your party nominated a generally well-qualified man for president, and he happened to be a Catholic, would you vote for him?" Negative answers accounted for 24 percent of responses.
Source: Time
What is Mormonism?
According to PBS, Mormons believe that their religion is restoring Christianity to its true form. The faith shares many tenets with Protestantism and Catholicism, including their recognition of the significance of the Gospels and Baptism and belief in the second coming of Christ. Mormons hold that Christ will create the "new kingdom" in America, as laid out in “The Book of Mormon.”
Source: PBS
Mormonism was founded by Joseph Smith, who claimed he was visited by “heavenly manifestations” before receiving “The Book of Mormon” from the Prophet Maroni. Smith led followers from New York to Ohio to Missouri, and then to Illinois, where close-knit communities were established. Led by Brigham Young, following the murder of Smith by a mob in 1844, the Mormons finally settled in Utah. They abandoned the practice of polygamy in 1890.
Source: Mormon History Association
The official Web site for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the full title of the Mormon church, states that it has 12,868,606 members worldwide. The Web site also offers the latest press releases and stories about Mormonism and information about Mormon missions around the world.
Source: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Opinion & Analysis: Mormonism and Democracy
According to Amy Sullivan of Washington Monthly, while Americans have grown more tolerant of Catholics and Jews in elected positions, they have not grown more tolerant of Mormons in such positions. Sullivan explains, “In the late 1960s, the percentage of Americans who said they would not vote for a Jewish or Catholic presidential candidate was in the double digits; by 1999, those numbers had fallen to 6 and 4 percent … Compare that to the 17 percent of Americans who currently say they would have qualms electing a Mormon to the White House. That number hasn't changed one whit since 1967.”
Source: Washington Monthly
On May 14, 2007, the Pew Forum held its biannual Faith Angle Conference, which focused on the question “Mormonism and Democratic Politics: Are They Compatible?” Richard Bushman, author of several books about Mormon history, explained, “I believe that we should truly be able to lay aside fears that Romney will receive directions from Salt Lake City. There is nothing in the record of the past century that would lead one to think otherwise.”
Source: Pew Forum
In his op-ed piece in The New York Times, Kenneth Woodward, a contributing editor at Newsweek who is writing a book about American religion from 1950 on, states that a CBS poll found that 57 percent of Americans polled stated they knew little to nothing about Mormonism. Mr. Woodward argues that whether Romney likes it or not, he will have to teach the American public about Mormonism.
Source: The New York Times
Related Links: Evangelicals for Mitt and the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research
Evangelicals for Mitt explains why its members support Gov. Romney’s presidential bid despite differing from his religious convictions: “We would never advocate that the governor become our pastor or lead our churches—we disagree with him profoundly on theological issues. But we reject the notion that the president of the United States has to be in perfect harmony with our religious doctrine.”
Source: Evangelicals for Mitt
The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) was created to defend Mormon beliefs against criticism. The site compiles a great deal of information from a number of different sources on many topics.
Source: The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research
Reference: Watch Mitt Romney's speech
The official Web site of Mitt Romney's 2008 campaign carries video of the presidential candidate's address "Faith in America."
Source: Mitt Romney for President 2008
Most Recent Beyond The Headlines
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
