What made Romney's big speech so Mormon

Romney has served his church both as bishop and stake president. As a husband, father of five sons, and rising star in the corporate world, he became very familiar with the formidable multitasking that such church callings involve. That means he is very familiar with the stakes in the tent of Zion metaphor. Romney did not use this particular expression Thursday. But the notion of Zion's tent was manifested in his description of a religious tent supported by a Catholic stake; Evangelical and Pentecostal stakes; a Lutheran (hence Protestant mainstream) stake; a Jewish stake; and even a Muslim stake. Naturally, his Zionic pavilion has a place for Mormons, as well as for all the faith communities that are a part of the Abrahamic tradition.

In fashioning this image, Romney positioned the LDS church as a part of the American religious mainstream as well as an important stake in Zion's tent. This is smart politics, both for Romney and for his church. And it's a long way from the "one true church" talk of the 1830s.

Since he made it clear that secularists have no place in his big tent, many commentators have questioned the exclusivity of the Republican candidate's vision. They charge that the candidate left no place for the substantial proportion of the nation's population without a connection to a religious body of any kind, the group sociologists of religion call the "nones." Romney, however, was thoroughly inclusive when he said that what really matters in America is whether a person stands for the equality of humankind, the obligation to serve one another, and a steadfast commitment to liberty.

Even before his robust confession of his Mormon faith, Romney made another equally powerful confession of faith. He committed himself to what Abraham Lincoln called "America's political religion," pledging to defend the rule of law and the Constitution.

Note clearly that Romney spoke to a dual audience. He spoke directly to the members of the evangelical community in Iowa and elsewhere. At the same time, he had to speak to all the people of the United States about his position with regard to religion and politics.

His assertion that "freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom" was obviously intended for the ears of the Evangelicals who are pouring into former Baptist minister Mike Huckabee's political camp. But there was more in this speech than an appeal to Evangelicals. Romney also warned the nation that a clear and present danger to the Constitution exists. Its prohibition of a "religious test" for office is under assault in this year's political campaign.

This assault comes primarily from people who are excessively attentive to what makes the Mormon faith different from other Christian traditions. Romney's rebuttal was spot-on: "Each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. These are not bases for criticism," he said. They "test our tolerance," as does the presence in the Republican primary campaign of a Mormon who doesn't flaunt his faith and a Southern Baptist who does.

• Jan Shipps is a professor emeritus of history and religious studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and the author of "Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition."

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