Romney speech an LDS watershed
The address will be heavy on religious liberty and tolerance, says aide
By Peggy Fletcher Stack
The Salt Lake Tribune
Mitt Romney is the most visible Mormon in America today, and what he says about his faith in today's speech will resonate with no one so much as his fellow believers.
There's no official word, but you can bet even LDS apostles and the First Presidency will tune in for Romney's long-awaited John F. Kennedy-style speech this morning at the George Bush Presidential Library in Texas.
Whether or not they would vote for Romney, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints want him to succeed. Friends have been e-mailing, calling and writing memos to Romney, offering their suggestions as to how he should approach the subject.
Romney's speech is a seminal episode in the history of this American-born faith, unseen since 1904 when Sen. Reed Smoot of Utah was not allowed to take his seat until Congress vetted Mormon beliefs and practices. Never before has there been a viable Mormon candidate so politically well-prepared to go before the American people and make a claim on the presidency.
"Because this has garnered so much attention, it has the potential to be one of the most important moments in the church's recent history," said Bill Simmons, a Washington lobbyist, Mormon and Romney supporter.
Much is at stake.
Can Romney help Mormonism become a legitimate player on the national scene, alongside Evangelical Christians, Catholics and Jews, or will it remain permanently "other," relegated to the margins?
Romney's quest for the presidency has been a kind of referendum on Mormonism, with people everywhere discussing little-known theological aspects, probing its beliefs, posting photos of temple garments on the Internet and debating whether it's a truly Christian church.
According to various polls, anywhere from 17 to 43 percent of Americans say they are less likely to vote for a Mormon. Through it all, the LDS Church has received more media inquiries than ever, far surpassing the interest generated by the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
Now Romney takes the podium before an invited audience of about 300 to speak directly to the Mormon concerns that have dogged him throughout his campaign.
This is his chance to explain how his faith has shaped him, to allow others to see him as an authentic believer, real, human and vulnerable. He can make Mormonism seem "normal," even laudable, and himself seem presidential. But if he offers platitudes, he can also fall flat.
"It's a teaching moment, in a sense, an unrepeatable moment," says Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary in Southern California.
A discussion of Romney's faith is crucial, Mouw says, because "a president is an iconic figure. We expect that person to speak to the heart of the nation."
This question of what he believes about the integration of public and private spheres, how his faith bears on this, is an important one.
"He needs to reassure the larger world that he isn't going to be run by the [LDS] prophet."
Romney is not going to solve 150 years of harsh rhetoric between Mormons and Evangelicals, Mouw says, but he could at least acknowledge the conflicts. He could admit his church hasn't always done a good job of explaining itself. He could promise to be open about elements of his beliefs that are relevant to contentious national issues. He could offer to continue the public conversation about religion's role.
"He's being asked to give a reason for the hope that lies within him. It's a big assignment," Mouw says.
"I am praying for Mitt Romney because I want him to represent and give courage to people who have been so misunderstood in American culture," he adds.
But this is not going to be "the Mormon moment" some of his supporters would like to see, says Ryan Bell, a Salt Lake City attorney who created a Web site, romneyexperience .com, to dispel myths and what he calls unfair coverage of the Mormon faith.
Romney is not going to make the case for Mormons as part of the Christian mainstream, Bell says. "He can't come out and say, 'Forget about the differences between us' or 'We are the same.' He can only say the differences don't matter in terms of solving America's problems."
If he asserts his Christianity, observers say, every Baptist minister in the country would take the pulpit on Sunday and tell their flock why it isn't true.
Instead, the speech will be heavy on the theme of religious liberty, the role religious tolerance has played in the nation's progress and how the governor's faith would inform his presidency, says Romney's campaign manager, Beth Myers.
It may echo President Kennedy's eloquent 1963 address in the Mormon Tabernacle on Temple Square.
"Let us remember that the Mormons of a century ago were a persecuted and prosecuted minority, harried from place to place, the victims of violence and occasionally murder, while today, in the short space of 100 years, their faith and works are known and respected the world around, and their voices heard in the highest councils of this country," Kennedy said. "As the Mormons succeeded, so America can succeed, if we will not give up or turn back."
For Romney, comparisons to Kennedy - who in 1960 allayed fears about his Catholicism by embracing the separation of church and state - are inescapable.
Political pundits, bloggers, religious scholars and the Mormon faithful will dissect every word.
HCD Research in Flemington, N.J., is already promising to "study the perceptions of Americans shortly following the speech . . . using a battery of analytical tools, the company will report emotions, perceptions of sincerity and persuasion evoked by his speech."
Whatever the speech's shortcomings, they are Romney's alone. He has sought advice from others, but in the end, every word is his.
And Mormons will listen to every one.
"No matter how much Mitt disclaims the authority to speak for the church, there is a certain authority in what he says. Unlike Kennedy, who clearly did not speak for Catholicism, Mitt has a reputation as a solid Mormon, someone who would speak out of Mormon orthodoxy," says Randall Paul, a longtime Romney friend and president of the of Foundation for Interreligious Diplomacy in Highland and New York City.
"He does not like that burden, but he understands it."
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