comMITTed to Romney!

Romney Delivers “JFK Religion” Speech

John F. Kennedy said, “I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute–where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote….” Many were worried at that time that the Pope or others in the Catholic Church would have undue influence on JFK should he become president.

Today, many including myself have been waiting for Mitt Romney to deliver a similar speech. One which would calm any fears that as a Mormon, the leaders of the Mormon Church would not have undue influence on him should he become president. Romney’s values are shaped by his beliefs. Those values have been expressed time and again along with what has been stated in the debates. I have not read or heard lots of dialog about concerns with Romney being influenced by the leaders of the Mormon Church. Maybe those with concerns are unable to move past the theological differences, or maybe people have learned that Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader, is a member of the Mormon Church in good standing, and we don’t see a lot of undue influence with him.

The one concern I do read and hear about is Romney’s vacillating on issues due to political expediency and convenience. Thus, I do not sense that Romney’s religious problems equate to the same problems John F. Kennedy had. Although the DNC would love to contradict me, the only issue Romney vacillated on was abortion. We all know he changed his tune for the better and is currently Pro-Life. I’m beginning to think that people may wonder why Romney could have been effectively Pro-Choice before he was Governor and square that position with a Church that teaches so strongly against abortion. The contradiction in his previous political position with the teachings of his Church only feeds the naysayer’s argument that Romney is not to be trusted, that he will say anything to get elected which at the time was in the most liberal of states.

We’ve heard about the personal family experience with abortion that ended in the death of a family member. That incident shaped not only Romney’s thoughts on the matter for many years, but those of many in his family, including his parents. We’ve heard about his experience with Harvard scientists in researching embryo cloning and how the epiphany came to him about the affect Row v. Wade had on the value of life from a scientific perspective. But even with these powerful personal experiences, how can Romney claim consistency in values with the belief structure that teaches contra the abortion view he held for so long?

The answer came recently in a passionate exchange of ideas in Iowa. I believe that this discussion is the John F. Kennedy speech that Romney needed to deliver. It does not wholly pertain to the influence of Mormon leadership, but does show how Romney can be a member of a Church so adamantly opposed to abortion and yet hold a different political view for years without compromising the principals and values of that religion. Romney did not compartmentalize his beliefs for political gain. He did not do that when he ran for Senator or when he ran for Governor. How is that possible? Watch or read this exchange and judge for yourself. If you feel this “off-the-air discussion” does not answer the religious concerns of voters, then please comment on what you feel Romney still needs to deliver to voters about his religion. Please do not comment if it’s about Mormon theology as there is nothing Romney could ever say that would fix your theological concerns. What more needs to be added than what he says here?

Warning it’s a long video at 20 min; most of it is “off-the-air”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G9hydflwEQ

The transcript:
http://myclob.pbwiki.com/Jan-Mickelson

-Nathan W.

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