Mitt Romney Burnishes His Social Conservative Credentials During Commencement Address At Liberty University

While Mitt Romney's primary goal is to secure the Republican nomination (yes, Ron Paul is still contesting it) and to eventually become President of the United States, Mitt Romney, by virtue of the fact that he's a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is performing an unofficial service mission for the Church. His candidacy has directed a spotlight upon Mormonism, and in the process, has permitted us to educate the public more thoroughly on Mormonism. Negative biases and stereotypes can be exposed, confronted, and rebutted.

ON May 12th, 2012, Mitt Romney reached a major milestone when he delivered the commencement address before an audience of 35,000 people at Liberty University, which is considered the most prominent Evangelical-oriented university in the United States. Evangelical attitudes towards Mormonism and Romney continue to steadily soften as Evangelicals recognize the danger to this country posed by four more years of Barack Obama. They recognize that they have more in common with Mormons than they realize. As is the custom, Liberty presented Romney with an honorary doctoral degree. Here's a YouTube video of C-Span's coverage of Romney's address:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muHK5Hqgar8



The CNN Belief Blog provides a full transcript of Romney's speech.

The Boston Globe noted that Romney spoke in deeply religious terms that were far more personal, representing a significant departure for a candidate who is typically most at ease touring manufacturing facilities, participating in economic roundtables, and talking about data in power point presentations. While Romney never specifically mentioned his Mormon faith, he did reference it once during the speech.

The Christian Science Monitor noted that Romney got his strongest applause when he reiterated his opposition to homosexual marriage and stated that the definition of marriage as limited to one man and one woman should be enshrined in the US Constitution. Romney did briefly allude to the religious difference between himself and his Evangelical audience, saying "People of different faiths, like yours and mine, sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose, when there are so many differences in creed and theology. Surely the answer is that we can meet in service, in shared moral convictions about our nation stemming from a common worldview."

The Lynchburg News & Advance noted that Romney praised the 6,000 Liberty graduates in the audience and the quality of the education they received, saying “you leave Liberty with conviction and confidence as your armor. You know what you believe. You know who you are. And you know who you will serve. Not all colleges instill that kind of confidence, but it will be among the most prized qualities from your education here. Moral certainty, clear standards, and a commitment to spiritual ideals will set you apart in a world that searches for meaning”.

Longtime pro-family activist Gary Bauer, the chairman of the Campaign for Working Families, characterized the speech as a grand slam for millions of Americans who care about family, faith and freedom.

However, an extremist group called USAChristianMinistries is unhappy about Romney's appearance because they believe Romney opposes God and Christians, and called upon Liberty's Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. to step down for betraying Jesus Christ and Christians.