MITT ROMNEY DISCUSSES THE RELIGION ISSUE

Mitt Romney gave a speech on Thursday in which his faith and religion played a central role. The speech, entitled “Faith in America,” was intended to answer questions regarding his Mormon faith from evangelical Christians and Southern Baptists. The support of Christian groups such as these would be very important should the Republican win the party nomination for President.

The president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Richard Land, said of the speech, “He (Romney) will get a second hearing or a second look from a lot of Southern Baptists.” James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family issued a statement in which he wrote, “Gov. Romney’s speech was a magnificent reminder of the role religious faith must play in government and public policy… his message was inspirational.” The president of the Interfaith Alliance, C. Welton Gaddy, said, “I thought it was as good a statement on religious freedom as we could ever expect from a candidate running for public office.”

Romney’s speech echoed a similar speech by Catholic candidate John F. Kennedy in 1960. It was probably no coincidence that Romney offered his speech in Texas, as Kennedy did.

Once again Romney proves his ability to articulate his position brilliantly. It’s sad that in this day and age Romney felt compelled to offer a speech defending his faith- a religion that boasts nearly 6% of the American population. Nevertheless Romney’s intelligence, conviction, and class once again illustrate that he is the perfect Republican candidate for President of the United States.