GOP candidate Romney professes belief in theistic evolution
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is trying to clarify for the public some points about his religious beliefs. For instance, he says he embraces the theory of evolution but also believes an intelligent designer created the Earth.
During last week's Republican presidential debate, only three candidates -- former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) and Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado) -- said they did not believe in evolution. But now, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney says he wishes he had been given more of a chance to describe his answer to the question.
"My view is that there is, of course, a God, a creator, and that he is intelligent and that his intelligence designed the universe and led to the creation of the human body. And it may well be that the science of evolution was used in that process. I think that's the probably the most likely scientific explanation today, but who knows what will develop over time."
According to the Mormon presidential candidate, local parents and school officials, not the federal government, should determine whether students are taught alternatives to the theory of evolution in public schools. He says he would be comfortable with his children being taught in science class about evolution and being taught in religion or philosophy class about "the possible divine nature that we associate with the creation of the Earth."
Romney goes on to state that his Mormon faith "flows from the Bible." He says although evangelical Christians and Mormons may have sharp theological differences, they share common values.
"I'm not a student of comparative religions," the former Bay State governor notes, "and so I probably can't go through doctrine by doctrine. I'm sure there are a number of very significant differences in doctrine, but at the heart of the Christian and Mormon and Jewish and other faiths that flow from the Bible are values that focus on the permanence of the family, the importance of marriage, the need to serve other people, and so forth."
Those kinds of values, Romney asserts, "are common amongst us all." And those values, he says, are the reason why America "has sought people of faith to lead the nation."