God & Country Home
Search Page
RICHARD BRUCE CHENEY
[White House]
1941-
46th Vice President (2001-2009)
Education: University of Wyoming
Occupation: businessman
Political Affiliation: Republican
Religious Affiliation: Methodist
Summary of Religious Views:
Views on Religion & Politics:
Quotations:
"Well, I -- my family was serious about their faith. My mother sang in the church choir. Dad was the church treasurer, as was his father before him. I grew up as a Methodist. And it has been an important part of my life, and our family's life. It's an important part of the President's life, as well, too.
"But it's also important to remember that one of our great strengths as a nation, one of the great gifts we have as Americans is freedom of religion that, in fact, we do believe in the separation of church and state. And my ancestors came here many, many years ago, and the reason they came was because they were seeking freedom to worship. And that's true for a great many of those earlier generations who settled in America. So it's very important for us to preserve and protect that principle. By the same token, though, I have the sense oftentimes that there has been an effort in some quarters to sort of drive religion out of the public square, if I can put it in those terms. And I think it's perfectly appropriate for us to recognize a divine being in the course of affairs of this nation, as did the Founding Fathers, when they wrote the Declaration of Independence, or when we used to begin the opening session of every meeting of the House of Representatives with a prayer, or if you looked up over the Speaker's chair in the House, the motto: In God We Trust.
"I found decisions such as the one the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals made here a couple of years ago out West that we shouldn't be allowed to say "under God" when we pledge allegiance to the flag to be absolutely outrageous. I thought that was totally, totally wrong.
"So I think it's perfectly appropriate and important that the faith play an important role in all our lives, but as individuals wish -- some won't. But I think all Americans clearly have that right. It's important that we preserve the principle of separation of church and state. But that does not mean that we should take it to the extreme that it has sometimes been taken to in an effort, I think, to sort of turn our back on the notion because I think our religious faith and religious convictions played a very important role in the founding of the country. I think it's very important to a great many Americans. And I think there's a way to be true to both concepts and principles without doing violence to either." -- Remarks and Q&A in Clio, Michigan, 21 October 2004
References, Links, & Further Reading: Books, Articles, Links
Books
Notice: The books listed below include a link to Amazon. I hope this benefits you by making it easier to locate material that may be of interest to you. This also benefits me, because I am an Amazon Associate. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. At present, these earnings are only enough to partially offset the costs of maintaining this website, but but I do deeply appreciate the support.
Articles
Links
God & Country Home
Search Page