Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) -Candidate for President
Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) -Candidate for President
The greatness of America springs from its history as a nation where people of diverse
faiths and backgrounds could thrive and prosper together. The great constitutional
principles of the First Amendment, which forbid our government from either establishing
any religion or interfering with any person's exercise of religious faith, have served for
two centuries as the bedrock of that greatness. I support those principles without
qualification.
Consistent with those principles:
- I welcome without reservation the participation in politics and government of people
of deep religious commitment; and I recognize that as we try to control crime, and
teen pregnancies and revitalize American families, the values taught in our
churches and synagogues are a critical part of the process.
- I reject absolutely any political group or faction which preaches or practices
exclusion or intolerance; which asserts that votes for its candidates are votes "for
God;" or which attempts to transform political disagreement into "holy wars."
- I support the established constitutional right of individuals to use public buildings,
including schools, for voluntary prayer.
- I oppose a constitutional amendment to permit organized school prayer, as I believe
it is wrong for any public or government official to have authority over any person's
religious exercise.
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