This being my last column of the semester, I would like to thank all those who actually take the time out of their Thursdays to read my column. Today, I would like to write about Mitt Romney. As many of you probably know Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will deliver a speech on Thursday in Texas about his Mormon faith.

Romney is going to answer questions that people have about his faith, in an attempt to clarify any public misconceptions about Mormonism. The last president to really talk about their religion was John F. Kennedy in 1960, when he addressed his Catholic faith in Houston, Texas. Foxnews.com reports speculate whether Romney will take a page out of history and deliver a similar speech to that of JFK, one where JFK talked about how religion should be interpreted in America.

This speech is necessary for Romney to give. Today in America, there are so many stereotypes about religions we are unfamiliar with. People tend to be scared and question things they do not understand, which is why it is vital for Romney to discuss his religion.

Religion and politics are intertwined, whether you want to believe it or not. A person’s religion affects how they conduct themselves in a personal and public setting. One’s religion tends to affect the type of values and morals they have and does play an important role in politics. You do not have to look far back in history to see that presidents with weak religious beliefs tend to have lower moral standards (Bill Clinton ring a bell?). No, religion should not run government and never will in America. Since Romney is part of a religion that is a minority in America, though, he must explain to the public that he is a man of faith just like everyone else in America who practices a religion.

Romney does not want to repeat JFK’s 1960 religion speech, but needs to make a stand for himself and why his faith is important to him. Romney must make known why his faith should not negatively influence his chances of becoming president. The public knows so many other facts about the presidential candidates, but many of us don’t understand Mormonism. This is why Romney is doing a good thing for his campaign by addressing this topic.

Detractors will wonder why he did not address this issue earlier on in his campaign, and I agree that if Romney would have discussed his faith earlier on, people would have understood him more and may be more or less favorable toward him. Either way, he would have had a better idea of where he stood regarding his chances of winning this presidential election.

Religion and politics are always a touchy subject, but topics that cannot be ignored. I am glad Romney has brought this issue to the table now rather than later, or not at all. I am unsure of Romney’s electability against some of the top Democratic hopefuls, but respect this man of strong faith and wish him the best in the upcoming election.