'God' on the Campaign Trail
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told a crowd of supporters Saturday that he would not take "God" out of the pledge of allegiance or off U.S. money.
With Pat Robertson behind him, Romney said, "The pledge says 'under God.' I will not take God out of the name of our platform. I will not take God off our coins and I will not take God out of my heart. We're a nation that's bestowed by God."
The comments were a reaction to a controversy during the Democratic Party convention. The original party platform omitted any reference to God. The Democratic Party acted quickly to fix their platform Wednesday after it was reported that there was no mention of God in the document.
The convention revised its platform by replacing its plank on hard work with language from the 2008 platform: "We need a government that stands up for the hopes, values, and interests of working people, and gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential" (emphasis added).
Conservatives such as Family Research Council president Tony Perkins called the omission a sign that the Democratic Party was working to exclude religion from public life.
"This is the natural evolution of an administration eager to push God out of the public square and squeeze Him only into the four walls of our churches" Perkins said.
The "God amendment" was approved, but not without controversy. The amendment was not voted on by itself. It was combined with a plank calling for Jerusalem to remain the capital of Israel. It took three voice votes before convention chairman, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, ruled that there was a two-thirds support for the amendments. The ruling came despite considerable, loud objections voiced by the delegates. Many delegates booed after Villaraigosa announced the outcome of the vote.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told CNN that the omission was merely an "error" or "oversight" and that the platform is no longer an issue.
"It's been corrected, we move on from there," Pelosi said. "Platforms are usually even much more controversial than that."
The Republican Party 2012 platform includes a record number ten references to God, more than any major party platform of at least the last six decades. Most of the mentions were to "God-given" rights (including the God-given right to own a firearm). It is a matter of faith (pun intended) among many social conservatives that Democrats believe that rights are granted by government, not God.
GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) told a crowd in Colorado Thursday that Democrats were aligned with government, not God.
"[Democrats] actually said the government is the only thing that we all belong to. Then they cut references to God out of their platform. They reversed course on that one yesterday; it wasn't really a popular reversal if you watched it on the TV, but to quote a prominent journalist from Wisconsin: They were against God before they were for Him," Ryan said.
The Democratic 2012 platform did not mention "God" but it did include a plank on the role of faith in public life:
Faith has always been a central part of the American story, and it has been a driving force of progress and justice throughout our history. We know that our nation, our communities, and our lives are made vastly stronger and richer by faith and the countless acts of justice and mercy it inspires … There is no conflict between supporting faith-based institutions and respecting our Constitution, and a full commitment to both principles is essential for the continued flourishing of both faith and country.
Star Trek Into Darkness
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J Thomas
Wayne, we have the ability in this country to have a direct effect on the way that we are able to worship God. There is no one, no party or politician, who we can count on to safeguard that freedom. Our founders gave us an incredible gift and warned us that we'd have to be the people to keep it...in every generation. Now is our time to unite to ensure that it is passed on to our children so that they can pass it on to our grandchildren. Jesus told us directly to take the Gospel forth. In America, the prayers and devotion of our fore bearers have opened doors in our country to be able to worship and evangelize freely. Ask a Christian from Egypt if they have that same freedom. Should we allow Satan to close doors to the unsaved if we can keep them open? Or should we strategically and prayerfully work toward opening MORE doors to the unsaved?
Wayne Froese
Back to the topic all. I seriously doubt that either party sincerely wishes to promote Christianity via the government. Or any other religious belief. We have laws to prevent a state religion and we are still a land of laws. Both parties know this. What we are left with is a sham to beguile those.who are easily taken in. Ultimately, this doesn't flatter Christians.
J Thomas
Adam, you're neglecting the context for the sake of some generalized idealistic diplomacy. That terrorist was naively invited to the White House from a terrorist organization. The Obama administration found out the hard way that their generalized idealistic faculty lounge diplomacy is childishly naive, and that its consequence is murder and injustice. Their policy in Egypt and Libya has led to an out-of-control conflagration that can only get worse for Christians and Americans. It has directly resulted in the deaths of Christians and American diplomats. It has resulted in persecution for Christians in both countries, even unto literal crucifixion. Yes, people are being crucified in Obama's Arab Spring 'democracies'. The terrorist that the Obama administration naively invited into the White House for incredibly naive 'negotiations' was a representative sent by one of the terrorist groups who organized the attack on 9/11/12. Obama is no friend to Christians.