Terryl Givens: "A Call to Sanity"

A speech widely anticipated to be about Romney's Mormon faith turned out to be a speech explaining why there would not be a speech about his Mormon faith. In this regard, he made the right choice. Legitimate curiosity on the part of the American people about a little understood religion is one thing. Insinuating a question about biblical inerrancy into a presidential candidate debate, as happened at CNN, was a clear sign that sincere interest was morphing into religion-bating, sensationalizing, and rank impropriety. This speech was a call to sanity. Romney's poignantly understated sole allusion to a Mormon figure (Brigham Young) as "setting out" for Utah in 1847, when the historical context was the forced exodus of a religious group under siege and threat of annihilation, was a gentle reminder that a preoccupation with religious difference can all too easily lead to intolerance, hatred, and even violence. His allusion to the empty cathedrals of Europe also made a point that is a matter of historical fact: religious diversity, not religious conformity, is the best soil in which to nourish and preserve a vibrant religious culture.
 
-- Terryl Givens is a professor of literature and religion at the University of Richmond and the author, most recently, of PEOPLE OF PARADOX: A HISTORY OF MORMON CULTURE (Oxford University Press, 2007).