Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney was Governor of Massachusetts  in 2003-2007 and candidate for President of the United States in 2012.  Like most political leaders of our time, Governor Romney had things to say about tolerance. [1]

People of different faiths, like yours and mine, sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose, when there are so many differences in creed and theology. Surely the answer is that we can meet in service, in shared moral convictions about our nation stemming from a common worldview.

So even if we cannot agree, or even acknowledge, the religious point of view of others, there is nothing standing in our way to work together for the Common Good.  That’s why, in Masonic Lodges, discussions on religion and politics are absolutely forbidden – and a violation of that rule could result in a member being expelled from the Fraternity! 

Religious freedom opens a door for Americans that is closed to too many others around the world. But whether we walk through that door, and what we do with our lives after we do, is up to us.

We in America take so many of our Blessings for granted.  We are one of the freest countries in the world, and we often squander our Freedoms. 

Romney also addressed the dark side of the tolerance issue:  Intolerance.

Trickle-down racism, trickle-down bigotry, trickle-down misogyny, all these things are extraordinarily dangerous to the heart and character of America.

Dangerous to the heart and character of America, indeed.  Whether trickle down or grass roots bigotry, in order to protect our freedoms, we must resist the bigotry.  My Dad, and the members of his generation, fought Nazis in Europe and Japanese in the Pacific to guarantee these freedoms.  We must fight a no less important battle to ensure they remain viable. 

Religious liberty is the first freedom in our Constitution. And whether the cause is justice for the persecuted, compassion for the needy and the sick, or mercy for the child waiting to be born, there is no greater force for good in the nation than Christian conscience in action.

The Christian conscience in action is a boon for civilization and democracy.  But it must be TRUE Christian conscience, and not the perversion of Christianity claimed by racists and bigots.

I trust Governor Romney would agree.

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[1] All quotes:  https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mitt_romney.html