A December 10 Washington Post article about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney reported that Romney “repeatedly asserts his firm belief in the separation of church and state” and quoted from Romney's December 6 “Faith in America” speech: “There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church's distinctive doctrines. ... To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the Constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes president, he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths.” But the Post article -- part of the Post's series "The Front-runners," which purports to provide "[a] revealing look at each of the leading presidential candidates" -- did not note, as Media Matters for America did, that in the same December 6 speech, Romney attacked unnamed people who “seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God,” claiming, “It's as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America -- the religion of secularism. They are wrong.” Nor did the article note Romney's claims that "[f]reedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom," and "[f]reedom and religion endure together, or perish alone." Additionally, as Media Matters documented, Romney has repeatedly said that he believes Americans “want a person of faith to lead them.”

By contrast with the Post article, as Media Matters noted, on the December 6 edition of MSNBC Live, Washington Post reporter Sally Quinn said of Romney's speech: “I'm really stunned because I think it was an obliteration of the idea of the separation of church and state. He eliminated anybody who was a doubter, an atheist, an agnostic, a seeker. It's like, if you believe in God or Christ, you're on my side. If not, you're not.”

In a column also published in the December 10 newspaper as part of the Post's “Front-runners” Romney package, Dana Milbank wrote:

After the speech, CNN's Dana Bash asked him to square his tough-on-immigration stance with his repeatedly allowing “contractors to be at your house who clearly have illegal immigrants working for them.”

“I have certainly never proposed that homeowners have a responsibility,” he wiggled.

Somebody asked whether Romney's assertion that “freedom requires religion” meant that a nonbeliever “can't be a free person.”

“Of course not,” he folded.

From Romney's December 6 speech:

ROMNEY: There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they are at odds with the nation's founders, for they, when our nation faced its greatest peril, sought the blessings of the Creator. And further, they discovered the essential connection between the survival of a free land and the protection of religious freedom. In John Adams' words: “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. ... Our Constitution” he said, “was made [sic: only] for a moral and religious people.' ”

Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.

Given our grand tradition of religious tolerance and liberty, some wonder whether there are any questions regarding an aspiring candidate's religion that are appropriate. I believe there are. And I will answer them today.

[...]

ROMNEY: There is one fundamental question about which I'm often asked: What do I believe about Jesus Christ? I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. My church's beliefs about Christ may not all be the same as those of other faiths. Each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. These are not bases for criticism but rather a test of our tolerance. Religious tolerance would be a shallow principle indeed if it were reserved only for faiths with which we agree.

There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church's distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the Constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes President he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths.

I believe that every faith I have encountered draws its adherents closer to God. And in every faith I've come to know, there are features I wish were in my own: I love the profound ceremony of the Catholic Mass; the approachability of God in the prayers of the Evangelicals; the tenderness of spirit among the Pentecostals; the confident independence of the Lutherans; the ancient traditions of the Jews, unchanged through the ages; and the commitment to frequent prayer of the Muslims. As I travel across the country and see our towns and cities, I'm always moved by the many houses of worship with their steeples, all pointing to heaven, reminding us of the source of life's blessings.

It's important to recognize that while differences in theology exist between the churches in America, we share a common creed of moral convictions. And where the affairs of our nation are concerned, it's usually a sound rule to focus on the latter -- on the great moral principles that urge us all on a common course. Whether it was the cause of abolition, or civil rights, or the right to life itself, no movement of conscience can succeed in America that cannot speak to the convictions of religious people.

We separate church and state affairs in this country, and for good reason. No religion should dictate to the state nor should the state interfere with the free practice of religion. But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It's as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America -- the religion of secularism. They are wrong.

The founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square. We are a nation “Under God” and in God, we do indeed trust.

From the December 10 Washington Post article:

Romney doesn't particularly like all that running for president entails. He entered the race mainly because he had the opportunity to do so, he said, and it would have been irresponsible not to seize it. Mormonism instilled in him the desire to serve and the confidence to lead. And, ironically, Mormonism now presents perhaps his biggest obstacle to fulfilling those tenets.

Romney's success in winning the conservative vote depends largely on how he appeals to evangelicals, some of whom consider Mormonism a cult. During campaign events, Romney has tried to cast himself as a run-of-the-mill Christian. He tells voters that, like many folks, he believes Jesus is his savior and that the Bible is the word of God. He denounces his church's long-abandoned practice of polygamy and repeatedly asserts his firm belief in the separation of church and state. When asked about some of Mormonism's particulars -- the practice of baptizing the dead, the requirement to wear holy undergarments -- Romney defers questions to church leaders.

“There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church's distinctive doctrines,” he said last week in a speech at the George Bush Presidential Library that was designed to allay public misgivings about his Mormon faith. “To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the Constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes president, he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths.”

His religious beliefs aren't the only reason that he has had trouble with evangelicals. Romney was elected governor of Massachusetts in 2002 as a moderate Republican who supported abortion and gay rights. In his run for the GOP presidential nomination, he has repositioned himself as a conservative who favors overturning Roe v. Wade and not allowing gays in the military. His transformation has left some voters with the impression that he is a politician of convenience, willing to say whatever is necessary to win an election.

Romney has tried to counteract that perception by talking, constantly, about values. His father, who was elected governor of Michigan in 1962, brought his mother, Lenore, a fresh-cut rose every day, and Romney has shaped himself in his father's image. On George's advice, Romney went on his Mormon mission, made money in business before entering politics and raised a family loyal to the Mormon church. Romney likes to say that he and his wife, Ann, “have been going steady since high school.” His campaign centerpiece is to “strengthen the American family,” and he offers up his own family -- from his deceased parents to his grandchildren -- as a worthy example.