Obama, Romney’s faith under scrutiny

>>> my christian faith has been a sustaining force for me over these last few years. all the more so when michelle and i hear our faith question ed from time to time.

>> i'm a member of the church of jesus christ of ladder day saints. i'm fine with that. i'll talk about my experiences in the church. there's no question that helped shape my perspective.

>> president obama and mitt romney have faced scrutiny about their religious beliefs . so it's a rare opportunity to read or hear what either one has to say about it, let alone answer questions about faith by an exclusive interview published by the national cathedral in washington. both president obama and mitt romney agreed to written interviews about their faith . joining me is reverend doctor frances wade. he put this together. first of all, i have to say, normally i would assume in previous presidential years this wouldn't be a difficult thing given both are hesitant to be so public about the faith , how difficult was this?

>> actually, the campaign has twoopted very well. they were eager to do they were. they were generous in the response. it's true they delayed a long time. i think we are trusted, but it was not gift to get their attention, and they took it very seriously and followed through in a good way. the first question is how does faith play a role in your life? i've said before my faith has grown as president. as president lincoln once said i've been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that i had no place else to go. a consequence of our common humanity is the responsibility to one another to fellow americans foremost but every child of god . i think both of those responses draw great strength from their faith . and in both cases the faith has compelled them to serve the nation in wonderful ways. so while there are differences in their statement and the manner in which they continue in their faith what their faith has meant for them and done for them has been remarkably consistent.

>> this question i found interesting. it was sort of, how do you view the role of faith in public life . the president said this. we face big challenges in this country and we're coming to this the point where we will decide if we're truly in this together, or if each individual should just fight for what serves them best. sounding very much like a campaign answer there from the president. and then governor romney . the creator should remain in the pledge. nativity seens should be welcome in our public places . our greatness would not long endure without the judges. also governor romney playing a political card here. he said he thought father or mother have gone too far worrying about the separation of church and state .

>> they both, again, are stating principles that are well within the christian hope and hope of faith . to deny the fact of faith and religion in our common life is a mistake. that's pretending something doesn't exist when it in fact exists with great power. i think that's a decision for other people to make. but his point is well taken. and president obama speaks very clearly about the moral framework for the great conversations of our society. and we do have the framework. and it should be honored. faith and understanding has a great role to play in the life of this nation, has always played the role, and we're foolish to pretend it does not.

>> now to the question of what makes your interviews unique here. because we don't hear them talk about it. and the question you gave to both of them is some people have questioned the sincerity of your faith and your christianity. how do you respond to the questions? president obama said, you know, there's not much i can do about it. i have a job to do as president. it's not involve convincing folks that my faith in jesus is real. governor romney said it this way. i believe that jesus christ is the son of god and the savior of mankind. every religion has its own doctrines in historiful these should be a test of our religious tolerance . it would be shallow principles if it was reserved only for faiths in which we agree. it's something oddly unique in which they share. there have been public doubts about how devout they are when it comes to christianity.

>> it's true. that's a reason for a lot of avoidance of the topic. that's why we're pleased to help the conversation take place. faith is a very powerful force in people's lives. but because the language of fais tends to the absolute, it's difficult for taitful people to con tem plain differences in expression and understanding of faith . truth is a great big thing, but that's difficult for people. so a great deal of faithful people in the nation have a hard time getting their idea around the nuances that might be expressed in the faith of president obama and governor romney . it becomes emotionally laden. faith and religion are not objective things.

>> that's a great point. i will end it there. thauj for doing this. i have it up here. it's an important read. we're always wanting to know how they conduct themselves in their own religions. and it's an important topic. thank you very much for