Why Mitt Romney?

     As a conservative Christian and as a proud American I take my responsibilities as a citizen seriously. Because I feel our Nation is currently on the wrong track and in need of strong conservative leadership I am going to vote for Governor Mitt Romney. Many people have asked how I could support Mitt Romney implying I am not true to my core values. Many question whether we should ever vote for a Mormon but should always instead vote for a Christian. Others question Romney's conservative credentials, especially on pro-life issues.  Finally, some think I should submit a protest vote to try and force the Republican party to become more conservative. I will try to address some of the questions I have heard and if anyone reads this perhaps it will better help you make your own decision for what I feel is one of the most crucial elections of my lifetime.

Must I always vote Christian? While many discuss the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights celebrating our religious freedom, many forget that while we all celebrate our differing faiths, the Constitution purposefully prevents us from requiring those running for office to subscribe to a particular faith.  Article VI  states, "The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." 

     Our country was founded on religious freedom and our forefathers wisely decided we must not include a religious test for public office. If you view the history of the early settlers I think you would see a religious test would have severely hampered the Constitutional Convention because of the many different religious backgrounds of the colonies. We quite likely would not have the country we have today if we had made a state religion a requirement for office, voting, or citizenship.  Many people forget our Presidents also have differing religious backgrounds. If Wikipedia is to be believed, the Presidents have been Unitarians, Episcopalians, Quaker, Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Congregationalists, Deists, and several (including Abraham Lincoln) who did not espouse a specific denominational faith. However, I also feel you have the right to make your own decision and if knowing the faith of the candidate is integral to your decision then I support your right to do so. Just remember, all of us fall short and our faith does not guarantee the quality of our abilities (President Carter comes to mind as an example where faith does not lead to a great presidency.) I would also point out several Christian leaders have endorsed Mitt Romney, including Billy Graham. and in October last year, Chuck Colson  stated, " . . . let's not give the impression that we would vote for or against a person because of his faith.”

Is Governor Romney a conservative? He states he is a conservative but many people feel he has made a conscious conversion to win the Presidential election. I cannot know what is truly in any man's heart so I can only judge his works and actions. Many people forget President Reagan was pro-choice before he became pro-life. I remember many people doubting his conversion before he was elected. He soon laid those doubts to rest doing many good things to advance the pro-life agenda despite having to work through a strongly pro-choice Democratic legislature. I could list many issues where Governor Romney has bravely taken a conservative stand where the costs were greater than any advantage he could gain. Fortunately, Evangelicals for Mitt has made a quick summary of his stand on many issues. I recommend you click the link to read them. One pro-life issue does stand out from their list. He opposed and vetoed a bill from the Massachusetts legislature authorizing embryonic stem cell research.  The personal costs to him were great when he made this decision. Embryonic stem cell research is believed to have the potential to unlock the mysteries of many diseases including Multiple Sclerosis. If he did not believe in the pro-life cause would he have vetoed the bill that may lead to the cure for his wife's illness?

Why don't I do a protest vote? Simple recognition of the fact conservatives do not represent the majority of the voters. While I try to influence the society to become better, I recognize changes will frequently be incremental. I tried to influence the political party I support but we are not yet strong enough to get the perfect candidate.  The best way to change a political party is to be involved and working to change it from the inside. A protest vote at the general election influences no one and can allow a good candidate to lose. A variation on this theme frequently invokes the straw man argument that I would not vote for someone who supported slavery (or some other social issue good Christians wish to change). The fact is Godly men throughout our history has had to make so-called "compromises" to reach the point where change can be effected. Most forget that many of our first Presidents were slaveholders and our Constitution actually counted blacks as less than a person. When the time is right and the circumstances have changed, God will provide the answer to these vexing issues of conscience and faith. Remember, President Lincoln  did not run to eliminate slavery but to limit its spread into the new territories. God used his election to do a far greater good than President Lincoln could envision.

Is Mitt Romney a perfect candidate? No. He is just a man trying to do what is right for our country. I do not share his faith. But, I do share his view in what America can be and what needs to be done. I will vote for Mitt Romney.