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Religion gets prominent attention in convention speech

"Kerry found his faith voice," Beliefnet's Steven Waldman blogged last night. "Not surprisingly, the key that unlocked his spiritual closet was Vietnam." Indeed, as Max Cleland introduced the Democratic nominee, he said. "The Bible tells me that no greater love has a man than to lay down his life for his friends." Then came a biographical film, where Kerry declared, "I am alive today because of the grace of a higher being."

Kerry's nomination acceptance speech also began with few references to faith and religion:

Home where my parents showed me the values of family, faith, and country. … [My mother] taught me to see trees as the cathedrals of nature. …

We believe in the family value expressed in one of the oldest Commandments: "Honor thy father and thy mother." As President, I will not privatize Social Security. …

We believe that what matters most is not narrow appeals masquerading as values, but the shared values that show the true face of America. Not narrow appeals that divide us, but shared values that unite us. Family and faith. Hard work and responsibility. Opportunity for all—so that every child, every parent, every worker has an equal shot at living up to their God-given potential.

But it was in the final moments of speech that Kerry went from vague references to faith to explicitly talking about religion.

When I am President, the government I lead will enlist people of talent, Republicans as well as Democrats, to find the common ground—so that no one who has something to contribute will be left on the sidelines. And let me say it plainly: in that cause, and in this campaign, we welcome people of faith. America is not us and them. I think of what Ron Reagan said of his father a few weeks ago, and I want to say this to you tonight: I don't wear my own faith on my sleeve. But faith has given me values and hope to live by, from Vietnam to this day, from Sunday to Sunday. I don't want to claim that God is on our side. As Abraham Lincoln told us, I want to pray humbly that we are on God's side. And whatever our faith, one belief should bind us all: The measure of our character is our willingness to give of ourselves for others and for our country.

All pretty noncontroversial stuff. But then a few moments later, he vaguely referenced belief again:

What if we find a breakthrough to cure Parkinson's, diabetes, Alzheimer's and AIDS? What if we have a president who believes in science, so we can unleash the wonders of discovery like stem cell research to treat illness and save millions of lives?

"A president who 'believes in science'—as opposed to what?" asks Waldman. "Ideology. Theology. That's the implication." But others point out that Kerry didn't say a word about abortion, a marked change from earlier campaign years.

What's important is that the Democrats have started to take back religion, says Boston Globe columnist Derrick Z. Jackson. "It was about time the Democrats started fighting faith with faith," who notes that Kerry's quoting of Lincoln was one of the biggest crowd-pleasers. "The greatest hope that John Kerry offered last night was not so much anything he said in policy. It was in spirit," Jackson says. By referencing the Lincoln line, Kerry "held out the possibility of a less arrogant America."

Less arrogant than what? asks Matthew Continetti at The Weekly Standard. That Lincoln line is a standard in Bush speeches, too. "Some Democrats have argued cogently in recent months that their party suffers from a religion deficit," he writes. "In order to combat this deficit, the Kerry campaign has turned to American politics' most successful and prominent deployer of religious language: Bush."

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July (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48