By Melissa Jenkins '07
Kevin Harrington Student Ambassador
Dr. Damon Linker, recent author of The Theocons, engaged audience members at the NHIOP with his lecture titled "Taking the Religious Test: The Case of Mitt Romney." Linker, a journalist whose work has appeared in publications such as The New Republic, The Wall Street Journal, and the National Review, attracted a crowd filled with college students and faculty, as well as many community members who were intrigued by his presentation on the role of religion in politics today and its importance in the upcoming presidential election. To hear the podcast of this lecture, visit the NHIOP Podcast page .
Linker began by discussing the meaning of religious freedom as a pillar of American society, which he said seems to have slowly been slipping away as a coalition of like minded thinkers-the religious right-gains power and defines the nation's policy in religious terms. The liberal left sees this as an obstruction to religious freedom, as they maintain that since the Founding Fathers, America has upheld the separation of church and state, keeping religion a private matter as American public life was to be dealt with in secular terms. The religious right recalls an alternative history, as they do not recognize their actions as impeding on religious freedom, but rather they contend that the Founding Fathers believed that public religion was essential to the survival of democracy, as it was a positive influence that led to the abolishment of slavery and the civil rights movement. Linker described the Founding Fathers as promoting a deistic religion, which serves as a source of morality while downplaying the truth of church doctrine. This is entirely different, he asserted, from the orthodox religion that the religious right promotes, which is "far from the faith of the Founding Fathers."
Linker also addressed the need for the discussion of religion to no longer be taboo, but to be seen as a necessary aspect of evaluating a candidate. This is especially the case when a candidate clearly places his or her religion as the "base of political beliefs." While he maintained that it is important for Americans to remain committed to allowing every American to run for office regardless of their religion, he states that this notion does not mean that Americans should not pay attention to the religion of those they elect. In fact, examining and evaluating religions is very important, as the religious right is correct in emphasizing that religion matters.
Although religious groups have played an important role in our history, Linker upheld that "religious convictions have also run contrary to American principles." For example, Mitt Romney, running as a religious right Republican candidate for President, has put his Mormon faith at the center of his candidacy. Linker argued that the Mormon faith elevates prophecy above other truths and continues to have modern day prophets. This could create a possible conflict for Romney as his religion requires that he accepts every prophecy as truth in order to remain a Mormon, however, such prophecies could interfere with his duty to the presidency.
Linker also addressed the fact that until around 2003, Romney portrayed himself as a more moderate politician, as he supported gay rights and was pro-choice. Currently, Romney holds stances against both of these issues, which leads one to question why he has had such a change of heart. Linker offers two possible reasons as cynics may believe he has changed his views in order to receive the Republican nomination for president, while the other explanation is that Romney has experienced a religious revelation. Linker declared that the American public has a right to know what caused this change and has a duty to examine the role that religion plays in this candidate's life.
Linker presented controversial material, discussing important issues and questions for Americans to consider in the 2008 presidential elections. Most importantly, he raised the question of whether one can be entirely dedicated to his or her faith while trying to achieve the highest political office in America: the presidency. As a dynamic speaker, Linker inspired great dialogue and challenging questions from students, professors and community members alike who walked out of the NHIOP auditorium still contemplating and discussing these difficult issues.