爱德华.肯尼迪《美国的真相与和解》英语演讲稿(共31页)20900字.docx
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爱德华.肯尼迪《美国的真相与和解》英语演讲稿(共31页)20900字.docx
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爱德华.肯尼迪《美国的真相与和解》英语演讲稿
EdwardM.Kennedy:
TruthandToleranceinAmerica
ThankyouverymuchProfessorKombayforthatgenerousintroduction.Andletmesay,thatIneverexpectedtohearsuchkindwordsfromDr.Falwell.Soinreturn,Ihaveaninvitationofmyown.OnJanuary20th,XXXX年,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,becausetheMoralMajorityhasworkedwithmembersofdifferentdenomination,onefundamentalistgrouphasdenouncedDr.[Jerry]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.AsPresidentEisenhowerwarnedinXXXX年,“Don’tjointhebookburners...therighttosayideas,therighttorecordthem,andtherighttohavethemaccessibletoothersisunquestioned--orthisisn’tAmerica.”Andifthatrightisdenied,atsomefuturedaythetorchcanbeturnedagainstanyotherbookoranyotherbelief.Letusneverforget:
Today’sMoralMajoritycouldbecometomorrow’spersecutedminority.
Thedangerisasgreatnowaswhenthefoundersofthenationfirstsawit.InXXXX年,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.ManyofthegreatevangelistsoftheXXXX年swereintheforefrontoftheabolitionistmovement.Inourowntime,theReverendWilliamSloaneCoffinchallengedthemoralityofthewarinVietnam.PopeJohnXXIIIrenewedtheGospel’scalltosocialjustice.AndDr.MartinLutherKing,Jr.whowasthegreatestprophetofthiscentury,awakenedournationanditsconsciencetotheevilofracialsegregation.
Theirwordshaveblessedourworld.Andwhonowwishestheyhadbeensilent?
WhowouldbidPopeJohnPaul[II]toquiethisvoiceagainsttheoppressioninEasternEurope,theviolenceinCentralAmerica,orthecryingneedsofthelandless,thehungry,andthosewhoa
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