Mitt Romney: "Separation of Church and State Taken to Far"

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney believes that "some" Americans have taken the separation of church and state too far, "well beyond its original meaning."

In an interview released Tuesday with the Washington National Cathedral's magazine, Cathedral Age, Romney said those who "seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God" aren't acting in line with the Founders' intent.

The separation of church and state is enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution, but Congress and the courts have debated the practical extent of that separation since its founding.

Romney said the Founders didn't intend for "the elimination of religion from the public square. We are a nation 'Under God, 'and in God, we do indeed trust."

President Barack Obama also was given a chance to answer questions about his Christian faith and about faith in public life. He called faith a "powerful force for good," but stopped short of suggesting that its influence in America had been forcibly diminished in recent years.

Romney, who is Mormon, didn't mention his faith by name during the nine-page interview, but acknowledged that, "I am often asked about my faith and my beliefs about Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind."

"Every religion has its own unique doctrines and history," he said, and "these should not be bases for criticism but rather a test of our tolerance."

While I cannot stand the mormon cult, I think he makes a valid point. People are offended at religion every chance they can get no matter how pointless or ridiculous.

Separating church and state is a good thing. One of the things all of the worst fascist governments had in common was having religion and ruling elite tied together. Regimes attached themselves to the predominant religion of the country and chose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. The fact that the ruling elite’s behavior was incompatible with the precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug. Propaganda kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the “godless.” A perception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion.

WTF did you just say? You used a few big words so credit to that, but overall I think you're missing the point to what Mittens is getting at.

I know exactly what he said.

Church and state are separated. Point blank end of the discussion in my opinion.
Look to history and the current middle east and see what happens when you don't.

the church and the state should be entirely seperate entities, simple as that.

government policy being influenced by jackanory stories from the bible and the often twisted interpretation of them is ridiculous enough by itself, but in a nation with such a vast and diverse population as the USA, how on earth could anyone possibly expect NOT to indoctrinate cultural and racial intolerance throughout large sections of society?

i'm prepared for the inevitable negging but this guy comes across as a dangerously ignorant man to me. his recent comments about russia and american diplomats in particular were unbelievable coming from a presidential candidate.

the prospect of this man becoming president of the united states is genuinely frightening.

cheekynffc wrote:

i'm prepared for the inevitable negging but this guy comes across as a dangerously ignorant man to me. his recent comments about russia and american diplomats in particular were unbelievable coming from a presidential candidate.

the prospect of this man becoming president of the united states is genuinely frightening.

What is frightening about it? You realize what the current president is doing when it comes to foreign policy right?

cheekynffc wrote:

i'm prepared for the inevitable negging but this guy comes across as a dangerously ignorant man to me. his recent comments about russia and american diplomats in particular were unbelievable coming from a presidential candidate.

the prospect of this man becoming president of the united states is genuinely frightening.

neither man is a good solution to our growing problems. Do not get zombied by the media and our presidents non committal stances fool you. Just because he doesnt take blame for anything and the media lets him off on almost everything is not a reason to think everything is ok

Farmer1906 wrote:

cheekynffc wrote:

i'm prepared for the inevitable negging but this guy comes across as a dangerously ignorant man to me. his recent comments about russia and american diplomats in particular were unbelievable coming from a presidential candidate.

the prospect of this man becoming president of the united states is genuinely frightening.

What is frightening about it? You realize what the current president is doing when it comes to foreign policy right?

what are you referring to?

foreign policy is quite a broad term, you'll have to narrow it down a bit.

Cu Bu wrote:

cheekynffc wrote:

i'm prepared for the inevitable negging but this guy comes across as a dangerously ignorant man to me. his recent comments about russia and american diplomats in particular were unbelievable coming from a presidential candidate.

the prospect of this man becoming president of the united states is genuinely frightening.

neither man is a good solution to our growing problems. Do not get zombied by the media and our presidents non committal stances fool you. Just because he doesnt take blame for anything and the media lets him off on almost everything is not a reason to think everything is ok

i'm not saying obama is the solution but romney certainly isn't. romney is very obviously out only for himself and his business pals.

cheekynffc wrote:

Cu Bu wrote:

cheekynffc wrote:

i'm prepared for the inevitable negging but this guy comes across as a dangerously ignorant man to me. his recent comments about russia and american diplomats in particular were unbelievable coming from a presidential candidate.

the prospect of this man becoming president of the united states is genuinely frightening.

neither man is a good solution to our growing problems. Do not get zombied by the media and our presidents non committal stances fool you. Just because he doesnt take blame for anything and the media lets him off on almost everything is not a reason to think everything is ok

i'm not saying obama is the solution but romney certainly isn't. romney is very obviously out only for himself and his business pals.

true enough, whats obama out for??

Cu Bu wrote:

cheekynffc wrote:

Cu Bu wrote:

cheekynffc wrote:

i'm prepared for the inevitable negging but this guy comes across as a dangerously ignorant man to me. his recent comments about russia and american diplomats in particular were unbelievable coming from a presidential candidate.

the prospect of this man becoming president of the united states is genuinely frightening.

neither man is a good solution to our growing problems. Do not get zombied by the media and our presidents non committal stances fool you. Just because he doesnt take blame for anything and the media lets him off on almost everything is not a reason to think everything is ok

i'm not saying obama is the solution but romney certainly isn't. romney is very obviously out only for himself and his business pals.

true enough, whats obama out for??

that's difficulty to say but obama is at least a skilled politician capable of projecting humility. whether true or not, obama does ostensibly appear to be a decent human being. romney will rob the poor to pay himself and quite possibly alienate the US from the rest of the world even more than bush jr did.

bush was a simpleton advised by tyrants, romney is a tyrant in waiting.

cheekynffc wrote:

Cu Bu wrote:

cheekynffc wrote:

Cu Bu wrote:

cheekynffc wrote:

i'm prepared for the inevitable negging but this guy comes across as a dangerously ignorant man to me. his recent comments about russia and american diplomats in particular were unbelievable coming from a presidential candidate.

the prospect of this man becoming president of the united states is genuinely frightening.

neither man is a good solution to our growing problems. Do not get zombied by the media and our presidents non committal stances fool you. Just because he doesnt take blame for anything and the media lets him off on almost everything is not a reason to think everything is ok

i'm not saying obama is the solution but romney certainly isn't. romney is very obviously out only for himself and his business pals.

true enough, whats obama out for??

that's difficulty to say but obama is at least a skilled politician capable of projecting humility. whether true or not, obama does ostensibly appear to be a decent human being. romney will rob the poor to pay himself and quite possibly alienate the US from the rest of the world even more than bush jr did.

bush was a simpleton advised by tyrants, romney is a tyrant in waiting.

This cannot be serious.

Obama is a decent human being while Mittens robs from the poor. If anyone robs anyone, its Obama. He believes in redistribution. He wants to take what hard working people have and give it to lazy assholes. He eliminated the work requirement for welfare. He's the one who's about to raise the hell out of taxes in 2013. http://www.atr.org/days-taxmageddon-a7203

Look at who gives their actual money. Romney gave almost 30% and has been giving at least 13% for years. Obama just gave 21% and has been giving close to 1% for years. Then you add in the fact even Obama's high years of donation get dwarfed by Mittens because he's more successful in business.

i said obama ostensibly appears a decent human being, though you've said nothing that paints a different picture there.

if taxation is the only issue you care about that's a very short sighted view and if enough people share that view that's how tyrants get into power. you'd vote for a man who might restart the cold war and leave a substantial proportion of a 60 million population to rot just to pay a few percent less tax?

conrad black and allen stanford paid a shit load of tax, that's a very tenuous way of judging character.

cheekynffc wrote:

i said obama ostensibly appears a decent human being, though you've said nothing that paints a different picture there.

if taxation is the only issue you care about that's a very short sighted view and if enough people share that view that's how tyrants get into power. you'd vote for a man who might restart the cold war and leave a substantial proportion of a 60 million population to rot just to pay a few percent less tax?

conrad black and allen stanford paid a shit load of tax, that's a very tenuous way of judging character.

The tax point I'm making is in reference to what you said about robbing from the poor. And yes that is a huge deal. It relates directly to the economy, spending, and the deficit. Who's rotting? Why are they rotting? Who's fault is it that they're rotting?

You honestly think mittens is going to restart the Cold War? I don't think the Cold War could be restarted if he tried.

Taxmageddon?

Romney did release his 2010 tax records( and an estimate on 2011).

Fact: romney gave 3 million dollars to charity

Fact: Obama gave 250,000

Fact: that is the 14 % allowed deduction to charities

Fact: romeny paid capital gains taxes which are 15%

Both candidates have rich people problems both gave 14% to charity to effectively lowered their taxable income .

farmers stats are a bit off

Cu Bu wrote:

Romney did release his 2010 tax records( and an estimate on 2011).

Fact: romney gave 3 million dollars to charity

Fact: Obama gave 250,000

Fact: that is the 14 % allowed deduction to charities

Fact: romeny paid capital gains taxes which are 15%

Both candidates have rich people problems both gave 14% to charity to effectively lowered their taxable income .

farmers stats are a bit off

Basing it off an article about what each gave.

yeah farmer I know, your point stands though and is factual in basic statement so neg is weak