Religious Leaders Praise Platform

Special Report - September 12, 2012
Over two-dozen religious leaders have signed a letter to Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, praising the pro-marriage, pro-life and pro-religious freedom principles in the recently adopted Republican Party platform. The letter describes the Republican platform, which was officially adopted last month at the Republican National Convention in Florida, as a “remarkably strong document.” It begins by noting that, “civil government is not about a particular theology but rather about public policy,” and then it asks, “What are the policy principles that will govern your administration should you prevail on Election Day.”

The letter points to the Republican platform as, “the document that most clearly defines your principles, and those of your party, on a wide range of topics,” including “those that derive from Biblical truth, an important source of our nation’s political philosophy.” The letter continues, “On those matters of social policy that address our deepest concerns—the sanctity of human life, compassion for the downtrodden and persecuted, the identity of the family and religious freedom—the Republican platform speaks clearly and powerfully. Its principals are squarely within the Judeo-Christian tradition, and we affirm the compelling words that convey its positions.”

The letter then goes on to quote specific portions of the Republican Party platform that strongly support the sanctity of human life, the defense of marriage, and religious freedom, and that condemn religious persecution, human trafficking, and discrimination based on sex, race, age, religion, creed, disability or national origin. To read some specific statements from the platform on many of these issues, please see our previous story.

“No such document will satisfy everyone, and its enactment will only be as vigorous as the political leaders we elect,” the letter concludes. “Nonetheless, the platform is a strong statement of social principles…In the confusing moral thickets of our day, this is a political compass that provides clear and sharp direction, a guide that is sorely needed by our country’s office holders.”

The letter was signed by 28 evangelical and Catholic leaders, including: Franklin Graham, President of Samaritan’s Purse; Jim Daly, President of Focus on the Family; Frank Wright, President and CEO of the National Religious Broadcasters; Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life; Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council; Joel Belz, founder of World magazine; and Leonard Leo, Director of The Catholic Association, among others.

Related resources:
Pro-Life, Pro-Marriage Platform - August 31, 2012
Platform Endorses Homosexual Marriage - August 16, 2012

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