One of the great things about our country is the separation between church and state. The separation is unfortunately a bit more theoretical than actual. Bigotry rooted in religious bias reared its ugly head in our recent (and lengthy) Presidential campaign. Consider the following excerpts from John F. Kennedy's famous 1960 speech: "I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute… I believe in an America where religious intolerance will someday end; where all men and all churches are treated as equal… That is the kind of America in which I believe. And it represents the kind of presidency in which I believe - a great office that must neither be humbled by making it the instrument of any one religious group, nor tarnished by arbitrarily withholding its occupancy from the members of any one religious group."-- Andrew J. Wylie in The Harbus
Kennedy had to prove he was worthy of the highest office in this land in spite of his particular faith - why did we revisit this notion forty eight years later? Former Governor Mitt Romney felt compelled to make a similar speech during his campaign. A candidate should not have to defend his or her religious beliefs in order to sate the public's thirst for legitimacy. Our nation was founded in large part by those seeking the freedom to worship in their own way. That a candidate for President is a member of a minority faith should be a validation of our political framework, not an impetus for intellectual inquisition.
>> transcript of Romney's speech 'Faith in America'
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