Post date: May 13, 2012 1:19:4 PM
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES (MAY 12, 2012) (NBC) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney delivered the commencement speech at Liberty University on Saturday (May 12), which gave him a rare chance to make a direct appeal to evangelical Christians who are skeptical of his Mormon faith and conservative credentials.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney delivers the commencement address to the graduating class of Liberty University, the world's largest Christian university, which was founded by Reverend Jerry Falwell.
The Lynchburg, Virginia, school, founded by the late television evangelist Jerry Falwell, is a bastion for conservative Christian thought. Its theology students are taught that Mormonism - Romney's religion - is a cult.But Romney seized the opportunity to try to show evangelicals that he and they have much in common, and carefully avoided talking about his own faith. Instead, Romney appealed to the "free exercise of religious faith" as a cherished American value.
"Perhaps religious conscience upsets the designs of those who feel that the highest wisdom and authority comes from government," said Romney. "But from the beginning, this nation has trusted in God, not man."
The speech, given a day before Mother's Day, also emphasized the importance of family.
"The American culture promotes personal responsibility, the dignity of work, the value of education, the merit of service, devotion to a purpose greater than self, and, at the foundation, the pre-eminence of the family," said Romney, as the crowd stood up and applauded.
Romney reiterated his opposition to same-sex marriage, a talking point that resonated with the conservative audience at Liberty just three days after President Barack Obama, declared his support for same-sex marriage.
"Culture - what you believe, what you value, how you live - matters," said Romney. "As fundamental as these principles are, they may become topics of democratic debate, from time-to-time. So it is today with the enduring institution of marriage. Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman."
Although the announcement last month that Romney would speak at Liberty caused an uproar among some members of the institution, his speech garnered enthusiastic applause several times and even a standing ovation.
But some Republican strategists have said that however successful his speech at Liberty, Romney would generate enthusiasm among conservative Christians only if they become convinced he can defeat Obama.
Such voters typically lean Republican and, if they are engaged in the election, could give Romney a significant boost in politically divided states such as Virginia and North Carolina that will be especially important on November 6.