Political Quotes

“I rise today to discuss how we allow religious believers to participate in public life. From the founding of our country, religious believers have played a central role in our government. The Declaration of Independence was signed by a Presbyterian minister, John Witherspoon, and Charles Carroll, the cousin of our first Catholic bishop. The importance of religious participation was in the air the Founders breathed, and the benefits religious believers of all backgrounds contributed to the common good was understood by the Framers of the Constitution. That is why they made it clear in article VI of the Constitution that no public officers could be subject to a ``religious test.'' This new country wouldn't be a country for Anglicans or for Congregationalists or for Quakers; it would be a country for all Americans and all faiths--all of those who are committed to the Constitution and the common good. Unfortunately, the religious test clause is no longer just the subject of history lessons. During this Congress, there have been a number of cases where my friends in the minority have seemed to ask nominees about their substantive religious beliefs. I find this particularly troublesome because, as a Mormon, I am a member of a faith that, while it is growing rapidly, still counts fewer adherents than many other religions.…”