Topics in the News: Faith-Based Organizations
Barack Obama on Budget & Economy
: Feb 12, 2013
Uphold full faith & credit of US; keep government open
I realize that tax reform and entitlement reform won't be easy. The politics will be hard for both sides. None of us will get 100 percent of what we want. But the alternative will cost us jobs, hurt our economy, and visit hardship on millions of
hardworking Americans. So let's set party interests aside, and work to pass a budget that replaces reckless cuts with smart savings and wise investments in our future. And let's do it without the brinksmanship that stresses consumers and scares off
investors. The greatest nation on Earth cannot keep conducting its business by drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next. Let's agree, right here, right now, to keep the people's government open, pay our bills on time, and always
uphold the full faith and credit of the United States of America. The American people have worked too hard, for too long, rebuilding from one crisis to see their elected officials cause another.
Click for Barack Obama on other issues.
Source: 2013 State of the Union Address
Marco Rubio on Families & Children
: Feb 12, 2013
Answers lie with family and our faith, not politicians
In the short time I've been here in Washington, nothing has frustrated me more than false choices like the ones the President laid out tonight.We don't have to raise taxes to avoid the President's devastating cuts to our military.
Republicans have passed a plan that replaces these cuts with responsible spending reforms.
In order to balance our budget, the choice doesn't have to be either higher taxes or dramatic benefit cuts for those in need.
Instead we should grow our economy so that we create new taxpayers, not new taxes, and so our government can afford to help those who truly cannot help themselves.
And the truth is every problem can't be solved by government.
Many are caused by the moral breakdown in our society. And the answers to those challenges lie primarily in our families and our faiths, not our politicians.
Click for Marco Rubio on other issues.
Source: GOP Response to 2013 State of the Union Address
Paul Ryan on Abortion
: Oct 11, 2012
Private & public life inseparable on faith & life issues
Q: What role your religion has played in your own personal views on abortion?RYAN: I don't see how a person can separate their public life from their private life or from their faith. Our faith informs us in everything we do.
My faith informs me about how to take care of the vulnerable, about how to make sure that people have a chance in life. Now, you want to ask basically why I'm pro-life? It's not simply because of my Catholic faith.
That's a factor, but it's also because of reason and science. I believe that life begins at conception. Now, I understand this is a difficult issue.
And I respect people who don't agree with me on this. But the policy of a Romney administration will be to oppose abortion with the exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.
Click for Paul Ryan on other issues.
Source: 2012 Vice Presidential debate
Mitt Romney on Families & Children
: Aug 28, 2012
No "storybook marriage"; just family & faith
I read somewhere that Mitt and I have a "storybook marriage." Well, in the storybooks I read, there were never long, long, rainy winter afternoons in a house with five boys screaming at once. And those storybooks never seemed to have chapters called MS
or Breast Cancer.A storybook marriage? No, not at all. What Mitt Romney and I have is a real marriage. I know this good and decent man for what he is--warm and loving and patient.
He has tried to live his life with a set of values centered on
family, faith, and love of one's fellow man. From the time we were first married, I've seen him spend countless hours helping others, and been there when late-night calls of panic came from a member of our church whose child had been taken to the
hospital.
You may not agree with Mitt's positions on issues or his politics. But let me say this to every American who is thinking about who should be our next President: No one will work harder. No one will care more.
Click for Mitt Romney on other issues.
Source: Ann Romney's 2012 Republican National Convention speech
Paul Ryan on Welfare & Poverty
: Aug 11, 2012
Subsidize and deregulate our wealth of faith based charities
Many believe the social fabric of this nation is tattered beyond recognition. We must replace moral squalor with both public decency and private civility. I believe we can begin this process of renewal by relieving the tax burden on our families and
by supporting, through subsidy and deregulation, our wealth of faith based charities. We can help restore good citizenship be freeing up individuals to become good citizens.
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Source: 2012 House campaign website, ryanforcongress.com, "Issues"
Marco Rubio on Abortion
: Jun 19, 2012
Expand birth control exemption for faith-based organizations
Rubio declared, "The federal government does not have the power to force religious organizations to pay for things that that organization doesn't believe in."The insurance requirement, part of the sweeping Affordable Care Act that had earned Obama
such disdain among tea partiers, allowed narrow exemptions for churches but not other faith-based organizations such as universities or hospitals. Many states have similar laws, and the vast majority of health plans cover birth control. But the issue
became a furious election-year fight, and Rubio its most high-profile combatant. "This is not about women's rights or contraception; this is about the religious liberties that our country has always cherished." "At the end of the day, it's about the fact
that now the federal government has the power to force a religion to pay for something the religion teaches is wrong." Rubio's legislation, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012, would expand exemptions for faith-based organizations.
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Source: The Rise of Marco Rubio, by Manuel Rogi-Franzia, p.177-178
Paul Ryan on Budget & Economy
: Apr 27, 2012
Bishops deny Ryan's "use of Catholic faith" as budget guide
In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Ryan, the author of the House Republican budget endorsed by Mitt Romney, said his program was crafted "using my Catholic faith" as inspiration. But the US Conference of Catholic Bishops was not
about to bless that claim.A week after Ryan's boast, the bishops sent letters to Congress saying that the Ryan budget, passed by the House, "fails to meet" the moral criteria of the Church, namely its view that any budget should help "the least of
these" as the Christian Bible requires: the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the jobless. "A just spending bill cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor and vulnerable persons," the bishops wrote. In fact, Ryan would cut spending
on the least of these by about $5 trillion over 10 years--from Medicaid, food stamps, welfare and the like.
Ryan didn't turn the other cheek, saying, "The work I do as a Catholic holding office conforms to the social doctrine as best I can make of it.
Click for Paul Ryan on other issues.
Source: Dana Milbank in Washington Post, "Faith-based"
Mitt Romney on Principles & Values
: Jan 1, 2012
OpEd: Faith informs his political and social positions
One wonders what would happen if Romney were to take the opposite approach, if he were to transparently speak from his heart and argue that it is in fact the values of his Mormon faith that inform and enrich his political and social positions. Yes, he is
the "business and economic expert," but he has also been shaped by the family values of his LDS forebears.One Romney supporter said, "What you are suggesting would be political suicide." I beg to differ. If Romney does not throw off the advice of his
political handlers and begin to speak straight from his heart concerning his Mormon faith, especially to Evangelical Christians, it is doubtful he will become the 45th president.
I would argue that the fact that Mitt Romney is a Mormon is not his great
problem, Romney is his own biggest problem when he makes naive statements like, "Voters don't care what religion I have." Voters do care that he is a practicing Mormon, and they want to know how his Mormonism will shape and affect his presidency.
Click for Mitt Romney on other issues.
Source: The Mormon Faith of Mitt Romney, by A. Jackson, p.199-200
Ron Paul on Principles & Values
: Jun 13, 2011
Congress should never prohibit Christian faith in public
Q: What is your definition of the separation of church & state?PAWLENTY: The protections between the separation of church & state were designed to protect people of faith from government, not government from people of faith.
Q: How will that affect
your decision-making?
SANTORUM: I approach issues using faith and reason. And if your faith is pure and your reason is right, they'll end up in the same place.
Q: Does faith have a role in public issues?
PAUL: I think faith has something to do with
the character of the people that represent us, and law should have a moral fiber to it and our leaders should. We shouldn't expect us to try to change morality. You can't teach people how to be moral. But the Constitution addresses this by saying--
literally, it says no theocracy. But it doesn't talk about church & state. The most important thing is the First Amendment. Congress shall write no laws--which means Congress should never prohibit the expression of your Christian faith in a public place.
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Source: 2011 GOP primary debate in Manchester NH
Sarah Palin on Civil Rights
: Nov 23, 2010
America follows faith in how we treat special needs kids
What our culture does when it translates religious values into secular terms and applies them to useful ends isn't about brainwashing or converting--quite the opposite. It's a way of conferring a rich moral heritage while respecting everyone's religious
freedom.All the great religions call on us to follow the Golden Rule: to treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. One of the best ways America follows this faith in a secular way is in the treatment we give to individuals with special
needs. Without so much as mentioning religion, we strive to treat these most vulnerable members of our society the way we ourselves would like to be treated.
We could always do more, but America says a lot about itself in the way we support these
amazing families. Not just with laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, but in our private lives; in countless individual gestures in countless communities, our faith-rooted values are put to work to help special kids and adults.
Click for Sarah Palin on other issues.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p. 240-241
Mitt Romney on Welfare & Poverty
: Nov 23, 2010
My faith would inform my presidency
Kennedy's famous speech [on Catholicism in 1960] is actually quite different from the way it is often described. Instead of reconciling his religious identity with his role in public life, Kennedy entirely separated the two. In the 2008
Republican primary, Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's Mormon faith was likewise perceived as an issue by some voters. Claiming that many would be reluctant to pull the lever for a person of his beliefs, some pundits and political advisors urged him
to "do a JFK." Just give a speech, they told him, and reassure voters that your faith will have nothing to do with your presidency. Instead, he gave a thoughtful speech that eloquently and correctly described the role of faith in American public life.
Unlike JFK, Romney declared that our religious liberty is "fundamental to America's greatness." And he spoke openly of "how my faith would inform my presidency, if elected."
Click for Mitt Romney on other issues.
Source: America by Heart, by Sarah Palin, p.184-185
Sarah Palin on Government Reform
: Oct 1, 2008
No state-mandated religion, but public faith is ok
Q: Thomas Jefferson wrote about the First Amendment, building a wall of separation between church and state. Why do you think that’s so important? A: His intention in expressing that was so that government did not mandate a religion on people.
And Thomas Jefferson also said never underestimate the wisdom of the people. And the wisdom of the people,
I think in this issue is that people have the right and the ability and the desire to express their own religious views, be it a very personal level, which is why
I choose to express my faith, or in a more public forum. And the wisdom of the people, thankfully, engrained in the foundation of our country, is so extremely important. And Thomas Jefferson wanted to protect that.
Click for Sarah Palin on other issues.
Source: 2008 CBS News presidential interview with Katie Couric
Hillary Clinton on Principles & Values
: Aug 27, 2008
Have faith in God, in our country, and in each other
We are Americans. We’re not big on quitting. But remember, before we can keep going, we have to get going by electing Barack Obama president. We don’t have a moment to lose or a vote to spare. Nothing less than the fate of our nation and the future of
our children hang in the balance. I want you to think about your children and grandchildren come election day. And think about the choices your parents and grandparents made that had such a big impact on your life and on the life of our nation.
We’ve got to ensure that the choice we make in this election honors the sacrifices of all who came before us, and will fill the lives of our children with possibility and hope. That is our duty, to build that bright future,
and to teach our children that in America there is no chasm too deep, no barrier too great--and no ceiling too high--for all who work hard, never back down, always keep going, have faith in God, in our country, and in each other.
Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.
Source: Speech at 2008 Democratic National Convention
Barack Obama on Principles & Values
: Apr 16, 2008
I am a person of faith; and I reach out to people of faith
CLINTON: [about Obama’s comment that people in small towns get bitter and they cling to guns & religion]: I think that is a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of faith in times that are good and times that are bad. And I similarly don’t think that
people cling to their traditions, like hunting and guns, when they are frustrated with the government. I just don’t believe that’s how people live their lives.OBAMA: Hillary has been saying I’m elitist, out of touch, condescending. Let me be absolutely
clear. It would be pretty hard for me to be condescending towards people of faith, since I’m a person of faith and have done more than most other campaigns in reaching out specifically to people of faith, and have written about how Democrats make an error
when they don’t show up and speak directly to people’s faith. The same is true with respect to gun owners. I have large numbers of sportsmen and gun owners in my home state, and they have supported me precisely because I have listened to them.
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Source: 2008 Philadelphia primary debate, on eve of PA primary
Hillary Clinton on Principles & Values
: Apr 16, 2008
Faith is not just something to cling to in hard times
Q: [to Obama]: You said people in small towns get bitter, and they cling to guns & religion. Now, you’ve said you misspoke?OBAMA: I meant: People are going through very difficult times right now. When people feel like Washington’s not listening to
them, then politically they end up focusing on those things that are constant, like religion. They end up being much more concerned about votes around things like guns, where traditions have been passed on.
CLINTON: I am the granddaughter of a factory
worker from the Scranton lace mills, who was also very active in the Court Street Methodist Church. I don’t believe that my grandfather clung to religion when Washington is not listening to them. I think that is a fundamental misunderstanding of the
role of faith in times that are good and times that are bad. And I similarly don’t think that people cling to their traditions, like hunting and guns, when they are frustrated with the government. I just don’t believe that’s how people live their lives.
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Source: 2008 Philadelphia primary debate, on eve of PA primary
Barack Obama on Education
: Apr 13, 2008
Evolution & science aren’t incompatible with Christian faith
Q: If one of your daughters asked you, “Daddy, did God really create the world in 6 days?” What would you say?A: What I believe is that God created the universe, and that the 6 days in the Bible may not be 6 days as we understand it. My belief is that
the story that the Bible tells about God creating this magnificent Earth, that is fundamentally true. Now whether it happened exactly as we might understand it reading the text of the Bible, that I don’t presume to know. But one last point--I do believe
in evolution. I don’t think that is incompatible with Christian faith. Just as I don’t think science generally is incompatible with Christian faith. There are those who suggest that if you have a scientific bent of mind, then somehow you should reject
religion. And I fundamentally disagree with that. In fact, the more I learn about the world, the more I know about science, the more I’m amazed about the mystery of this planet and this universe. And it strengthens my faith as opposed to weakens it.
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Source: 2008 Democratic Compassion Forum at Messiah College
Hillary Clinton on Principles & Values
: Apr 13, 2008
Faith sustains us in bitter times; faith isn’t bitterness
Q: You have written of how faith sustained you in bitter times, as have many people of faith. A: I believe people are people of faith because it is part of their whole being; it is what gives them meaning in life, through good times and bad times.
It is there as a spur, an anchor, to center one in the storms, but also to guide one forward in the day-to-day living that is part of everyone’s journey.
Q: You have been extremely critical of Senator Obama’s recent comments in which he argued that som
economically hard-pressed Americans have “gotten bitter and cling to guns or religion.”
A: Well, he will have to speak for himself. Those comments do seem elitist, out of touch and, frankly, patronizing. That has nothing to do with him being a good man
or a man of faith. We had two very good men and men of faith run for president in 2000 and 2004. But large segments of the electorate concluded that they did not really understand or relate to or frankly respect their ways of life.
Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.
Source: 2008 Democratic Compassion Forum at Messiah College
Barack Obama on Welfare & Poverty
: Apr 13, 2008
Cut poverty in half in 10 years, with faith-based help
Q: In the faith community, we want a new commitment around a measurable goal, something like cutting poverty in half in 10 years. Would you commit to such a goal?A: I absolutely will make that commitment. I make that commitment with humility because
we’ve got a lot of work to do economically in this country to bring about a more just and fair economy. It starts with recognizing the wages for average families have gone down during the most recent economic expansion. That’s never happened before.
We’ve got to shore up the mortgage market. We’re going to have to change our tax code. It is a moral imperative to provide health care to every single American. And invest in early childhood education. Many of these can be part of faith-based initiatives
I want to keep the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives open, but I want to make sure that its mission is clear. Faith-based initiatives should be targeted specifically at the issue of poverty and how to lift people up.
Click for Barack Obama on other issues.
Source: 2008 Democratic Compassion Forum at Messiah College
Hillary Clinton on Principles & Values
: Feb 21, 2008
Called by my faith & upbringing to serve others at young age
I resolved at a very young age that I’d been blessed and called by my faith and by my upbringing to do what I could to give others the same opportunities and blessings that I took for granted. That’s what gets me up in the morning. That’s what motivates
me in this campaign. I am honored to be here with Obama. I am absolutely honored. Whatever happens, we’re going to be fine. We have strong support from our families & our friends. I hope that we’ll be able to say the same thing about the American people.
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Source: 2008 Democratic debate at University of Texas in Austin
Mitt Romney on Principles & Values
: Dec 16, 2007
Ok to appoint atheists or agnostics--no litmus test of faith
Q: If you determined that the most qualified person for the Supreme Court or for attorney general or secretary of education happened to be an atheist or an agnostic, would that prevent you from appointing them?A: Of course not.
You look at individuals based upon their skills and their ability, their values, their intelligence. And there are many who are agnostic or atheist or who have very different beliefs about the nature of the divine than
I do, and, and you evaluate them based on their skills. But I can tell you that I myself am a person of faith and respect the sense of the common bond of humanity that comes from that fundamental belief.
Q:
But there’d be no litmus test?
A: No, no. There’s no litmus test of that nature.
Click for Mitt Romney on other issues.
Source: Meet the Press: 2007 “Meet the Candidates” series
Hillary Clinton on Welfare & Poverty
: Dec 1, 2007
Partner with faith based community in empowerment zones
Q: What leadership would you take to ensure that young people and Latino and Black communities not only have access to capital but to ensure that economic development is more inclusive of black and brown youth?A: In New York City we have seen the
transformation of Harlem from a combination of government action creating an empowerment zone, the private sector coming in to take advantage of that and an explosion of entrepreneurial dynamism. We’ve also seen the faith based community like
Abyssinians & others that have been partners with it and of course we’ve seen a lot of hip hop participants and leaders taking advantage of that. So we need this partnership. We need this partnership between the public and private sector and the
not-for-profit and faith-based sector. And we need to make sure that young people have a particular stake in what we are going to present. That’s what I’ve worked on in NYC and in upstate NY and I intend to put that to work when I’m president.
Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.
Source: 2007 Iowa Brown & Black Presidential Forum
Ron Paul on Welfare & Poverty
: Oct 25, 2007
Bush’s faith-based initiative is “a neocon project”
In a 2003 statement, Paul derisively labeled Pres. Bush’s faith-based initiative “a neocon project” that “repackages and expands the liberal notion of welfare.” In 2001, he proposed legislation to “amend” the faith-based initiative by offering a tax
credit for private donations to faith-based organizations that provide social services. “Churches should not become entangled with government subsidies and programs because truly independent religious institutions are critical to a free society,” he said
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Source: The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Joe Biden on Welfare & Poverty
: Oct 25, 2007
No faith-based initiative; it ain’t broke, so don’t fix it
Biden expressed reservations about President Bush’s faith-based initiative in 2001, commenting, “They say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and I’m not sure we’re not going to break something that’s already fixed.” In 2004, Biden co-sponsored the
Second Chance Act; the bill, which still hasn’t passed in the Senate, would, among other things, provide $15 million in federal grants to community and faith-based groups that help former prison inmates.
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Source: The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Ron Paul on Homeland Security
: Sep 17, 2007
Protect military chaplains’ right to pray in preferred faith
Q: I’m a former Navy chaplain who was punished for praying in Jesus’ name, 1 of 68 chaplains now suing the Secretary of the Navy. Would you sign an executive order to protect a military chaplain’s right to pray according to the dictates of his conscience
--and enforce the law that’s been on the books since 1860--to protect military chaplain’s right to pray according to their faith?- HUCKABEE: Yes.
- TANCREDO: Yes.
- COX: Yes.
- BROWNBACK: Yes.
- PAUL: Yes.
- HUNTER: Yes.
- KEYES: Yes.
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Source: [Xref Keyes] 2007 GOP Values Voter Presidential Debate
Barack Obama on Principles & Values
: Sep 13, 2007
Reach out to faith community;faith has role in public square
Q: We’ve heard a lot of talk about Democrats courting the Christian evangelical vote. But there are no commandments saying do not rape, do not torture, or do not commit incest.A: Yes, there are some inconsistencies and hypocrisy of people who mix
religion and politics sometimes. I have said it’s important for Democrats to reach out to the faith community, and the reason is because 90% of Americans believe in God. It’s a source of values. It’s a source of their moral compass.
And I know it’s a source of strength for me and my family. I think it’s important for us not to presume that faith has no part in the public square. Look at Martin Luther King, the abolitionists, the suffragettes.
We have a long history of reform movements being grounded in that sense often religiously expressed that we have to extend beyond ourselves and our individual immediate self-interests to think about something larger.
Click for Barack Obama on other issues.
Source: Huffington Post Mash-Up: 2007 Democratic on-line debate
Mitt Romney on Principles & Values
: Aug 31, 2007
Americans want person of faith as president, whatever brand
One by one the other presidential campaigns have committed “accidental” attacks on Romney’s religion. The presidential candidates were all quick to apologize for the actions of their campaign workers. In each case the candidates expressed regret and
disappointment as they disavowed any attacks on religion. All stressed that they disavowed any attacks on religion. All stressed that they wanted to run a clean campaign that would not tolerate bigotry.Gov. Romney accepted the apologies, saying,
“Clearly, any derogatory comments about anyone’s faith--those comments are troubling. The fact they keep on coming up is even more troubling.”
It’s not all negative, however. At an early campaign stop a man in the audience challenged Romney directly,
telling him that he would surely go to hell. The crowd groaned, then booed the man. Romney responded with what has become his signature comment on religion. “I believe Americans want a person of faith to lead the country. It doesn’t matter what brand.”
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Source: The Man, His Values, & His Vision, p. 93-95
Barack Obama on Principles & Values
: Aug 26, 2007
Active in the Trinity faith community
Obama has been a member of Trinity United Church of Christ, a Protestant Church in Chicago, for over 20 years. He, his wife Michelle & his daughters are active in the Trinity faith community.Obama’s faith shapes his values, as it does for millions of
Americans. As he said in a recent speech on faith and politics:
Our values should express themselves not just through our churches or synagogues, temples or mosques; they should express themselves through our government.
Because whether it’s poverty or racism, the uninsured or the unemployed, war or peace, the challenges we face today are not simply technical problems in search of the perfect ten-point plan. They are moral problems, rooted in both societal indifference
and individual callousness--in the imperfections of man. And so long as we’re not doing everything in our personal and collective power to solve them, we know the conscience of our nation cannot rest.
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Source: 2008 Presidential campaign website, BarackObama.com “Flyers”
Barack Obama on Welfare & Poverty
: Aug 26, 2007
Engages people of faith on all aspects of his public service
Obama has a record of engaging people of faith on all aspects of his public service. His first job out of college was bringing churches together to help address the poorest Chicago neighborhoods’ pressing problems. After Hurricane Katrina,
Obama united relief organizations and churches to discuss rebuilding the Gulf Coast. Obama also passed legislation that saved tithing from bankruptcy courts. In June of 2006, Obama delivered what a Washington Post columnist called perhaps the most
important speech on religion and politics in 40 years. Speaking before an evangelical audience, Senator Obama candidly discussed his own Christian faith and the need for a deeper, more substantive conversation about the role of faith in
American life.
In December of 2006, Obama joined Pastor Rick Warren to discuss moral leadership and Global AIDS. And in June of 2007, Obama challenged Americans to come together around a ‘Politics of Conscience’ to move our nation forward.
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Source: 2008 Presidential campaign website, BarackObama.com “Flyers”
Hillary Clinton on Principles & Values
: Aug 19, 2007
I believe in prayer; I’m dependent on my faith
Q: Do you believe that, through the power of prayer, disasters like Hurricane Katrina could have been prevented or lessened?A: I don’t pretend to understand the wisdom and the power of God. I do believe in prayer. And I have relied on prayer
consistently throughout my life. I like to say that, if I had not been a praying person before I got to the White House, after having been there for just a few days I would’ve become one. So I am very dependent on my faith, & prayer is a big part of that
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Source: 2007 Democratic primary debate on “This Week”
Hillary Clinton on Principles & Values
: Jul 18, 2007
Endured Monicagate through faith and inward spirituality
[In 1968, with regards to revelations of Bill’s affair with Monica Lewinsky,] the strange press release from the first lady’s office referred to her husband in a political as well as a personal way, saying that she “is committed to her marriage
and believes in this president and loves him very much.” Nonetheless, she turned inward. Her press secretary stated, “Clearly this is not the best day in Mrs. Clinton’s life. This is a time she relies on her strong religious faith.”
Hillary elaborated, announcing, “I’m not sure I would have gotten through it without my faith.”
There were in fact spiritual sources that
Hillary tapped at this time, taking guidance from certain ministers. One such was civil rights leader Jesse Jackson.
Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.
Source: God and Hillary Clinton, by Paul Kengor, p.168-170
Mitt Romney on Principles & Values
: May 3, 2007
Every person of any faith has deeply-held values
Q: You criticized Gov. Romney for saying his faith wouldn’t get in the way of his governing.HUCKABEE: I never criticized Gov. Romney for that. When a person says, “My faith doesn’t affect my decision-making,” that the person is saying their faith is
not significant to impact their decision process. I tell people up front, “My faith does affect my decision process.”
Q: But you answered a question on Feb. 11 about Romney in this way: “I’m troubled by a person who tells me their faith doesn’t
influence their decisions.“
HUCKABEE: A person’s faith shouldn’t qualify or disqualify for public office. But we ought to be honest and open about it.
Q: Gov. Romney, do you accept that he wasn’t talking about you?
ROMNEY: Everyone who’s a person
of faith has values that are deeply held. That’s what makes America such a powerful land: that comes from being a people of faith, but not people of a particular church or a particular synagogue. Rather, the great values we share are American values.
Click for Mitt Romney on other issues.
Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC
Sarah Palin on Education
: Nov 3, 2006
Faith-based materials ok in homeschooling
Ideally, the purpose of administration is to ensure that our schools offer such choices to parents, students and teachers. Choice in public education is a relatively new idea, but is already widely implemented.
We see from our experience that innovation such as charter schools, homeschools, correspondence, Montessorri, and various other alternative schools have a broad appeal to parents, students, teachers and administrators.
There is still room to grow our choices to serve more families.I support and respect the rights of independent homeschoolers and those who partner with local and state-wide school districts.
There must be equity in treatment of all homeschoolers in all programs across the state. The use of privately-purchased, faith-based materials should not be a reason for withholding funding.
Click for Sarah Palin on other issues.
Source: Palin-Parnell campaign booklet: New Energy for Alaska
Sarah Palin on Welfare & Poverty
: Oct 22, 2006
Funding for faith-based initiatives is adequate today
Q: Do you support an increase in state-funded, faith-based initiatives?A: We see an adequate level of funding for faith-based initiatives today.
Q: What, specifically, would you do to help make rural Alaska sustain itself economically?
A: I support a municipal revenue sharing so local areas can prioritize their own needs. The state needs to establish a rural energy plan. Commercial fishing is a mainstay for many villages, and I oppose actions that cut off Alaskans from our fisheries.
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Source: Anchorage Daily News: 2006 gubernatorial candidate profile
Barack Obama on Abortion
: Oct 1, 2006
Extend presumption of good faith to abortion protesters
[An abortion protester at a campaign event] handed me a pamphlet. “Mr. Obama, I know you’re a Christian, with a family of your own. So how can you support murdering babies?” I told him I understood his position but had to disagree with it. I explained
my belief that few women made the decision to terminate a pregnancy casually; that any pregnant woman felt the full force of the moral issues involved when making that decision; that I feared a ban on abortion would force women to seek unsafe abortions,
as they had once done in this country. I suggested that perhaps we could agree on ways to reduce the number of women who felt the need to have abortions in the first place.
“I will pray for you,” the protester said. “I pray that you have a change of
heart.” Neither my mind nor my heart changed that day, nor did they in the days to come. But that night, before I went to bed, I said a prayer of my own-that I might extend the same presumption of good faith to others that had been extended to me.
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Source: The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p.197-8
Mitt Romney on Welfare & Poverty
: Jun 29, 2005
Faith-based programs to provide social services
Governor Mitt Romney has created a special office to help faith-based groups in Massachusetts land more federal money, and he appointed his wife, Ann, to lead it. Romney endorsed faith-based programs yesterday as a means to provide social services and
said he wanted to step up the state's efforts to help religious groups and charities attract federal help.Critics of the faith-based effort warn that Romney's move bolsters President Bush's attempt to get more federal dollars to religious
organizations carrying out social services, a policy they say is eroding the traditional division between church and state. ''The Bush administration is trying to break down the church-state wall and give public money to the churches without the
legal safeguards that ought to be in place," said one critic.
Faith-based organizations apply directly for the federal grants, but Romney said the state can assist groups in the application process.
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Source: By Frank Phillips, Boston Globe, "Faith-Based"
Hillary Clinton on Abortion
: Nov 1, 2003
Advocates birth control but OK with faith-based disagreement
Mother Teresa had just delivered a speech against abortion, and she wanted to talk to me. Mother Teresa was unerringly direct. She disagreed with my views on a woman's right to choose and told me so. Over the years, she sent me dozens of notes & messages
with the same gentle entreaty. Mother Teresa never lectured or scolded me; her admonitions were always loving & heartfelt. I had the greatest respect for her opposition to abortion, but I believe that it is dangerous to give any state the power to enforce
criminal penalties against women & doctors. I consider that a slippery slope to state control in China & Communist Romania. I also disagreed with her opposition--and that of the Catholic Church--to birth control. However, I support the right of people of
faith to speak out against abortion and try to dissuade women, without coercion or criminalization, from choosing abortion instead of adoption. Mother Teresa and I found much common ground in many other areas including the importance of adoption.
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Source: Living History, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, p.417-418
Mitt Romney on Principles & Values
: Jun 2, 2001
Values family, faith, education, sport, & healing
Giving yourself to great things is the only sure path for successful living. I have spoken of some of those choices. To them I might add family and children, faith, scholarship, exploration, healing, teaching, athletics, and creation.
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Source: Commencement Speech, Westminster College, UT
Page last updated: Apr 30, 2013