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Voters Finally Hear Bush and Kerry Discuss Faith, Religion
By Jody Brown and Bill Fancher, Agape Press
No one knows whether debate moderator Bob Schieffer took his cue from conservative religious leaders who, prior to the third and final presidential debate, had lobbied the CBS newsman to delve into the issue of the candidates' faith. Regardless, President George Bush and Senator John Kerry responded - sometimes similarly, sometimes quite differently - to questions about the role of their faith in their personal and public life.
A coalition of religious organizations had encouraged Schieffer to inquire about the importance of religion to each candidate during the debate in Tempe, Arizona. Voters, they said, need to know how religion will impact their policy initiatives and decisions about domestic and foreign affairs in their tenure in the White House. Several questions into the debate, Schieffer asked Kerry to react to Catholic archbishops telling their church members it would be a sin to vote for a candidate like him because he supports a woman's right to choose an abortion and unlimited stem-cell research.
Stating that he respects those views, the senator continued: "I am a Catholic, and I grew up learning how to respect those views - but I disagree with them, as do many. I believe that I can't legislate or transfer to another American citizen my article of faith." Speaking specifically to the issue of abortion, Kerry said he believes "that choice is a woman's choice."
"It's between a woman, God and her doctor. And that's why I support that. I will not allow somebody to come in and change Roe v. Wade."
Soon thereafter, Kerry added: "I think that everything you do in public life has to be guided by your faith, affected by your faith, but without transferring it in any official way to other people."
Bush's response reflected his policy of creating a "culture of life" in America. "I think a hospitable society is a society where every being counts and every person matters," the president said. "I believe the ideal world is one in which every child is protected in law and welcomed to life.
"I understand there's great differences on this issue of abortion, but I believe reasonable people can come together and put good law in place that will help reduce the number of abortions." The president then noted his push for a ban on partial-birth abortion as well as his promotion of adoption laws and abstinence programs that offer "a great alternative to abortion," he said. It was not until toward the end of the debate that another faith-related question was asked. "What part does your faith play on your policy decisions?" Schieffer asked of the president.
Bush said his faith is an essential part of his presidency. "Prayer and religion sustain me. I receive calmness in the storms of the presidency [through prayer]," he said, adding that he prays a lot. "My faith is very personal. I pray for strength, I pray for wisdom, I pray for our troops in harm's way, I pray for my family, I pray for my little girls."
But the president was quick to add that freedom of worship is what America's all about. "I'm mindful in a free society that people can worship if they want to or not," he said. "You're equally an American if you choose to worship an almighty, and if you choose not to."
And while he said he is careful not to impose his religion on anyone else, he admitted it does directly influence his decisions as president. "[W]hen I make decisions, I stand on principle - and the principles are derived from who I am. [M]y principles that I make decisions on are a part of me, and religion is a part of me."
The Democratic challenger responded to Schieffer's question by stating that he respects many faiths. "Everything is a gift from the Almighty," Kerry said. "And as I measure the words of the Bible - and we all do; different people measure different things [such as] the Koran, the Torah, Native Americans. People all find their ways to express [their connectedness to a higher being]." Kerry recalled going to a "church school" when he was growing up. "I was taught the two greatest commandments are 'Love the Lord your God with all your mind, your body, and your soul' - and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' And frankly, I think we have a lot more loving of our neighbor to do."
And Kerry said he and President Bush practice their faith differently. "The president and I have a difference of opinion about how we live out our sense of our faith. I talked about it earlier when I talked about the works and faith without works being dead. I think we've got a lot more work to do - and as president, I will always respect everybody's right to practice religion as they choose, or not to practice."
List of 'Works'
A spokeswomen for Concerned Women for America is taking issue with Kerry's comments regarding abortion - particularly in the context of a person's faith without works being dead.
"Kerry strangely failed to mention his own cornucopia of 'works' - that is, his voting record on abortion," says CWA's Wendy Wright. That record, she explains, includes voting against a ban on partial-birth abortion on six different occasions, against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, and against parental notification before a minor girl can obtain an abortion. In addition, she says, Kerry supports taxpayer funding of elective abortions.
Wright contrasts that voting record with George Bush's tenure in the White House, referring to "significant accomplishments" in the last four years. "[The president's] efforts to decrease the number of abortions in the United States include signing into law and defending the partial-birth abortion ban, and supporting legislation to promote adoption, abstinence, and alternatives to abortion," she notes.
Reactions
Gary Bauer of the Campaign for Working Families says the president was at his best in this debate. "[I think] he did better than in either of the first debates, and I was particularly pleased to see him give a strong answer about the definition of marriage." Bauer says he was also pleased to see the president make it clear that on the sanctity of life issue, Kerry "does have a litmus test - and no pro-life judge need apply."
A seniors' group says it heard encouraging news from Bush during the debate. Jim Martin of the 60-Plus Association says this final debate reassured senior citizens that they can support the Bush administration. "He looked right into the camera and said 'Let me make it clear to senior citizens' [about Social Security]," Martin notes. "And I think it was a very telling point when he said 'They said four years ago, elect George Bush [and] you're not going to get your Social Security [checks]. Well, I've been here four years and you're still getting your checks.'"
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Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
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