美国经典英文演讲100篇TruthandToleranceinAmericaWord文件下载.docx

美国经典英文演讲100篇TruthandToleranceinAmericaWord文件下载.docx

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and 

Tolerance 

in 

America"

EdwardM.Kennedy

Faith,TruthandToleranceinAmerica

[AUTHENTICITYCERTIFIED:

Textversionbelowtranscribeddirectlyfromaudio.]

ThankyouverymuchProfessorKombayforthatgenerousintroduction.Andletmesay,thatIneverexpectedtohearsuchkindwordsfromDr.Falwell.Soinreturn,Ihaveaninvitationofmyown.OnJanuary20th,1985,IhopeDr.FalwellwillsayaprayerattheinaugurationofthenextDemocraticPresidentoftheUnitedStates.Now,Dr.Falwell,I’mnotexactlysurehowyoufeelaboutthat.YoumightnotappreciatethePresident,buttheDemocratscertainlywouldappreciatetheprayer.

Actually,anumberofpeopleinWashingtonweresurprisedthatIwasinvitedtospeakhere--andevenmoresurprisedwhenIacceptedtheinvitation.Theyseemtothinkthatit’seasierforacameltopassthroughtheeyeoftheneedlethanforaKennedytocometothecampusofLibertyBaptistCollege.Inhonorofourmeeting,IhaveaskedDr.Falwell,asyourChancellor,topermitallthestudentsanextrahournextSaturdaynightbeforecurfew.Andinreturn,IhavepromisedtowatchtheOldTimeGospelHournextSundaymorning.

Irealizethatmyvisitmaybealittlecontroversial.Butasmanyofyouhaveheard,Dr.FalwellrecentlysentmeamembershipintheMoralMajority--andIdidn'

tevenapplyforit.AndIwonderifthatmeansthatI'

mamemberingoodstanding.

[Falwell:

Somewhat]

Somewhat,hesays.

Thisis,ofcourse,anonpoliticalspeechwhichisprobablybestunderthecircumstances.SinceIamnotacandidateforPresident,itwouldcertainlybeinappropriatetoaskforyoursupportinthiselectionandprobablyinaccuratetothankyouforitinthelastone.

Ihavecomeheretodiscussmybeliefsaboutfaithandcountry,toleranceandtruthinAmerica.Iknowwebeginwithcertaindisagreements;

Istronglysuspectthatattheendoftheeveningsomeofourdisagreementswillremain.ButIalsohopethattonightandinthemonthsandyearsahead,wewillalwaysrespecttherightofotherstodiffer,thatwewillneverlosesightofourownfallibility,thatwewillviewourselveswithasenseofperspectiveandasenseofhumor.Afterall,intheNewTestament,eventheDiscipleshadtobetaughttolookfirsttothebeamintheirowneyes,andonlythentothemoteintheirneighbor’seyes.

Iammindfulofthatcounsel.IamanAmericanandaCatholic;

Ilovemycountryandtreasuremyfaith.ButIdonotassumethatmyconceptionofpatriotismorpolicyisinvariablycorrect,orthatmyconvictionsaboutreligionshouldcommandanygreaterrespectthananyotherfaithinthispluralisticsociety.Ibelievetheresurelyissuchathingastruth,butwhoamonguscanclaimamonopolyonit?

Therearethosewhodo,andtheirownwordstestifytotheirintolerance.Forexample,becausetheMoralMajorityhasworkedwithmembersofdifferentdenominations,onefundamentalistgrouphasdenouncedDr.Falwellforhasteningtheecumenicalchurchandfor"

yokingtogetherwithRomanCatholics,Mormons,andothers."

IamrelievedthatDr.Falwelldoesnotregardthatasasin,andonthisissue,hehimselfhasbecomethetargetofnarrowprejudice.Whenpeopleagreeonpublicpolicy,theyoughttobeabletoworktogether,evenwhiletheyworshipindiverseways.FortrulyweareallyokedtogetherasAmericans,andtheyokeisthehappyoneofindividualfreedomandmutualrespect.

Butinsayingthat,wecannotandshouldnotturnasidefromadeeperandmorepressingquestion--whichiswhetherandhowreligionshouldinfluencegovernment.Agenerationago,apresidentialcandidatehadtoprovehisindependenceofunduereligiousinfluenceinpubliclife,andhehadtodosopartlyattheinsistenceofevangelicalProtestants.JohnKennedysaidatthattime:

“IbelieveinanAmericawherethereisnoreligiousblocvotingofanykind.”Onlytwentyyearslater,anothercandidatewasappealingtoa[n]evangelicalmeetingasareligiousbloc.RonaldReagansaidto15thousandevangelicalsattheRoundtableinDallas:

“Iknowthatyoucan’tendorseme.IwantyoutoknowIendorseyouandwhatyouaredoing.”

TomanyAmericans,thatpledgewasasignandasymbolofadangerousbreakdownintheseparationofchurchandstate.Yetthisprinciple,asvitalasitis,isnotasimplisticandrigidcommand.Separationofchurchandstatecannotmeananabsoluteseparationbetweenmoralprinciplesandpoliticalpower.Thechallengetodayistorecalltheoriginoftheprinciple,todefineitspurpose,andrefineitsapplicationtothepoliticsofthepresent.

Thefoundersofournationhadlongandbitterexperiencewiththestate,asboththeagentandtheadversaryofparticularreligiousviews.IncolonialMaryland,Catholicspaidadoublelandtax,andinPennsylvaniatheyhadtolisttheirnamesonapublicroll--anominousprecursorofthefirstNazilawsagainsttheJews.AndJewsinturnfaceddiscriminationinallofthethirteenoriginalColonies.MassachusettsexiledRogerWilliamsandhiscongregationforcontendingthatcivilgovernmenthadnorighttoenforcetheTenCommandments.VirginiaharassedBaptistteachers,andalsoestablishedareligioustestforpublicservice,writingintothelawthatno“popishfollowers”couldholdanyoffice.

ButduringtheRevolution,Catholics,Jews,andNon-ConformistsallralliedtothecauseandfoughtvaliantlyfortheAmericancommonwealth--forJohnWinthrop’s“cityuponahill.”Afterwards,whentheConstitutionwasratifiedandthenamended,theframersgavefreedomforallreligion,andfromanyestablishedreligion,theveryfirstplaceintheBillofRights.

Indeedtheframersthemselvesprofessedverydifferentfaiths:

WashingtonwasanEpiscopalian,Jeffersonadeist,andAdamsaCalvinist.Andalthoughhehadearlieropposedtoleration,JohnAdamslatercontributedtothebuildingofCatholicchurches,andsodidGeorgeWashington.ThomasJeffersonsaidhisproudestachievementwasnotthepresidency,orthewritingtheDeclarationofIndependence,butdraftingtheVirginiaStatuteofReligiousFreedom.HestatedthevisionofthefirstAmericansandtheFirstAmendmentveryclearly:

“TheGodwhogaveuslifegaveuslibertyatthesametime.”

Theseparationofchurchandstatecansometimesbefrustratingforwomenandmenofreligiousfaith.Theymaybetemptedtomisusegovernmentinordertoimposeavaluewhichtheycannotpersuadeotherstoaccept.Butoncewesuccumbtothattemptation,westepontoaslipperyslopewhereeveryone’sfreedomisatrisk.ThosewhofavorcensorshipshouldrecallthatoneofthefirstbookseverburnedwasthefirstEnglishtranslationoftheBible.AsPresidentEisenhowerwarnedin1953,“Don’tjointhebookburners...therighttosayideas,therighttorecordthem,andtherighttohavethemaccessibletoothersisunquestioned--orthisisn’tAmerica.”Andifthatrightisdenied,atsomefuturedaythetorchcanbeturnedagainstanyotherbookoranyotherbelief.Letusneverforget:

Today’sMoralMajoritycouldbecometomorrow’spersecutedminority.

Thedangerisasgreatnowaswhenthefoundersofthenationfirstsawit.In1789,theirfearwasoffactionalstrifeamongdozensofdenominations.Todaytherearehundreds--andperhapseventhousandsoffaiths--andmillionsofAmericanswhoareoutsideanyfold.Pluralismobviouslydoesnotandcannotmeanthatallofthemareright;

butitdoesmeanthatthereareareaswheregovernmentcannotandshouldnotdecidewhatitiswrongtobelieve,tothink,toread,andtodo.AsProfessorLarryTribe,oneofthenation’sleadingconstitutionalscholarshaswritten,“Lawinanon-theocraticstatecannotmeasurereligioustruth,norcanthestateimposeit."

Therealtransgressionoccurswhenreligionwantsgovernmenttotellcitizenshowtoliveuniquelypersonalpartsoftheirlives.ThefailureofProhibitionprovesthefutilityofsuchanattemptwhenamajorityorevenasubstantialminorityhappenstodisagree.Somequestionsmaybeinherentlyindividualones,orpeoplemaybesharplydividedaboutwhethertheyare.Insuchcases,likeProhibitionandabortion,theproperroleofreligionistoappealtotheconscienceoftheindividual,notthecoercivepowerofthestate.

Butthereareotherquestionswhichareinherentlypublicinnature,whichwemustdecidetogetherasanation,andwherereligionandreligiousvaluescanandshouldspeaktoourcommonconscience.Theissueofnuclearwarisacompellingexample.Itisamoralissue;

itwillbedecidedbygovernment,notbyeachindividual;

andtogiveanyeffecttothemoralvaluesoftheircreed,peopleoffaithmustspeakdirectlyaboutpublicpolicy.TheCatholicbishopsandtheReverendBillyGrahamhaveeveryrighttostandforthenuclearfreeze,andDr.Falwellhaseveryrighttostandagainstit.

Theremustbestandardsfortheexerciseofsuchleadership,sothattheobligationsofbeliefwillnotbedebasedintoanopportunityformerepoliticaladvantage.Buttotakeastandatallwhenaquestionisbothproperlypublicandtrulymoralistostandinalongandhonoredtradition.Manyofthegreatevangelistsofthe1800swereintheforefrontoftheabolitionistmovement.Inourowntime,theReverendWilliamSloaneCoffinchallengedthemoralityofthewarinVietnam.PopeJohnXXIIIrenewedtheGospel’scalltosocialjustice.AndDr.MartinLutherKing,Jr.whowasthegreatestprophetofthiscentury,awakenedournationanditsconsciencetotheevilofracialsegregation.

Theirwordshaveblessedourworld.Andwhonowwishestheyhadbeensilent?

WhowouldbidPopeJohnPaul[II]toquiethisvoiceagainsttheoppressioninEasternEurope,th