Romney: 'Freedom requires religion' - do you agree? (soul, Mormon, America)

[tablemtn]

In his address today about his Mormon faith, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney made the following remarks:

Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people.'

"Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.

Link to full speech

Do you agree with Romney, or do you think freedom and religion are separate entities?

[b. frank]

Originally Posted by tablemtn

Do you agree with Romney, or do you think freedom and religion are separate entities?

Absoultely, without question, I disagree.

[gnab gib]

Originally Posted by tablemtn

In his address today about his Mormon faith, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney made the following remarks:



Link to full speech

Do you agree with Romney, or do you think freedom and religion are separate entities?

Sounds like he was quoting John Adams: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

John Adams quotes

The moral part, I agree with. As our government was first set up, the government wasn't there to police people and bail them out of trouble at every turn, so you had to have some kind of a moral compass.

The part I disagree with is that religion requires morality.

[Padgett2]

I disagree too. Some of the most un-free people that I have known are those that are so wrapped up in "religion" that they can't move without wondering if they are being sinful.

[msaRick]

I didn't like this speech at all. Mainly because I don't agree that without religion, this country would have no morals, which is where he seemed to be going. I believe its very possible to have either religion or morals without having them both. Religious people and atheists have done good and bad things.

At one point, he seemed to say that the country should embrace everyone, with the exception of Atheists and Agnostics. I found this a little insulting, as an Atheist. I accept the fact that I am a minority as far as beliefs go, and that I live in a nation of christians. I would not however, like to be excluded because of my beliefs, or lack thereof.

I couldn't care less if he's a Mormon. IMO, its no crazier than than any other religion.

[b. frank]

Originally Posted by msaRick

I couldn't care less if he's a Mormon. IMO, its no crazier than than any other religion.

I agree with this statement. Of course, I'd be lying if I said that I won't take glee in the mass shunning that is coming Romney's way (from religious non-LDS people).

[buildings_and_bridges]

I kind of think he's an idiot. Of course I suspected as much before I heard about that.

[ParkTwain]

No, freedom does not require religion. Freedom relates to a range of allowable behaviors by persons in a society and is based on an agreement (such as the Constitution) among the persons in that society, which agreement has nothing to do with any specific religious idea or specific religious practice. In fact, 'freedom' as it is understood by Americans is an innovation that came along well after 'religion' and is seen by Americans as going beyond, actually an improvement upon, the notion of using 'religion' (especially religion-sanctioned royalty) as the fundamental organizing principle of our political system.

[GCSTroop]

Well for me this is kind of true.... freedom does require religion otherwise I would not be free from it.

[Visvaldis]

Sometimes freedom and religion oppose each other.