Thanks
to JFK, his immortal words will become the crutch to great men and
women of our future, a corollary of which will become a standard for
them, “I am not the Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist or Wicca candidate
for president. I am the Democratic or Republican Party’s candidate for
president, who happens also to belong to the respective faith. I do not
speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for
me.”
– Mike Ghouse
TEXAS FAITH: Did JFK have a greater impact on religion than any modern president?
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| John F. Kennedy speaking as a candidate to Houston ministers in 1960 |
The nation and certainly the city of Dallas are coming upon the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. There are many parts of his presidency and death that our paper and others are starting to examine, from the legacy of his foreign policy to his imprint on civil rights to his use of television to communicate.
One area that hasn’t gotten much coverage is John F. Kennedy’s impact on religion in America. Often, we read about how Jimmy Carter and then Ronald Reagan awakened evangelicals and changed the face of religion in America, particularly in politics.
But did JFK have a greater effect than perhaps any modern president on religion in America?
Read on for some insightful answers.
MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas and speaker on interfaith matters
JFK had the most profound effect on religion in America than any other modern president. Indeed, he led the inclusionary trend in America.
A Catholic could have never dreamt of becoming president of the United States. Yet, there he was, the first one to break loose the unwritten Protestant monopoly on the White House with his sheer personal charisma and ability to communicate the right message. He paved the way for any American who aspired to lead the nation regardless of race or religion.
JFK had to be twice as good to win the hearts of Americans, just as African-Americans and other minorities have to be twice as good to be on par. He precisely communicated his adherence to his faith and the loyalty to the ideals of our Constitution without compromising. Perhaps, for the first time in our history, we became acutely aware of the separation of church and state, and understood what it meant.
On September 12, 1960, JKF delivered this powerful message:
“I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote;” and he continued, “I believe in a president whose religious views are his own private affair, neither imposed by him upon the nation, or imposed by the nation upon him as a condition to holding that office.”
America will continue to grow to reflect our deeply held values that all men are created equal. Thanks to JFK, his immortal words will become the crutch to great men and women of our future, a corollary of which will become a standard for them, “I am not the Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist or Wicca candidate for president. I am the Democratic or Republican Party’s candidate for president, who happens also to belong to the respective faith. I do not speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for me.”
His impact on the civil rights movement is lasting. On June 11, 1963 Kennedy defined the crisis as a moral one, as well as a constitutional and legal one. He announced that major civil rights legislation would be submitted to the Congress to guarantee equal access to public facilities, to end segregation in education, and to provide federal protection of the right to vote.
Most importantly, in behalf of all immigrants, I want to express my gratitude to JFK and MLK. Thank you, we are here today contributing to the richness of America, because of the Civil Rights Act and you two.
To read the other panelists take, please go to Dallas Morning News at: http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2013/10/texas-faith-did-jfk-have-a-greater-impact-on-religion-than-any-modern-president.html/#more-30501
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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a
writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work
place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in
Standing up for others
and has done that throughout his life as an activist. Mike has a presence on
national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on
Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to
the Texas Faith Column at Dallas
Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and
several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work
through many links.
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