If Santorum can find anything in the speech to suggest JFK wanted "only people of non-faith can come into the public square and make their case," he should do so. If he can't, Santorum should apologize for his ignorance. Just as a matter of electoral common sense, if a presidential candidate argued publicly in that religious people should "have no role in the public square," how is it, exactly, that Kennedy won the election two months later? Why was this speech celebrated as a landmark oration on a fundamental American principle?
What Santorum struggles to understand is that religion doesn't need government's help. America's public square already has religion in it -- turn on television or the radio and Americans can find religious programming; go to a library or book store and Americans can find religious publications; attend a sporting event and Americans can find athletes praying and celebrating their faith; pay attention to politics and Americans can find politicians from both parties speaking from pulpits, hosting prayer breakfasts, and reminding voters about their religious beliefs.
If Rick Santorum believes religious has been pushed from the public sphere, he needs to get out more. The larger point to remember, though, is that religion in American public life is already able to thrive, not despite the separation of church and state, but because of the constitutional principle. Whereas so many countries have official state churches, the United States, the first democracy to separate government and religion, has an open marketplace of ideas.
Account Profile. Sign Out. Or how about no separation: church pulpit, meet the bully pulpit. Tags: politics gop separation of church and state rick santorum jfk More. Most Viewed Stories. Romney is, of course, a ready-made target. He really said these things. And he said them at length.
More in Opinion. It's here. And not surprisingly, that's not what Kennedy said at all. First, here's what Santorum said about Kennedy :.
To say that people of faith have no role in the public square? You bet that makes you throw up. What kind of country do we live that says only people of non-faith can come into the public square and make their case?
The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country. This is the First Amendment. The First Amendment says the free exercise of religion.
That means bringing everybody, people of faith and no faith, into the public square.
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