Romney did a credible job in a difficult situation. While his statement went a long way towards satisfying the concerns of some Christians, his failure to deal more explicitly with his Mormon faith may still not address the concerns of many Americans who, wrongly in my view, see Mormonism as a non-Christian religion or as a religious cult.

Two of his statements were particularly significant. He reminded Americans of a central principle that remains especially important in our multi-religious and irreligious society: "A person should not be elected because of his faith, nor should he be rejected because of his faith." Equally important, he emphasized that Americans should focus on their shared moral values rather than the denominational differences that sometimes divide the country.

However, his more specific comment, that does indeed follow from this principle, might seem to many the calculated product of a presidential candidate in a 2008 race in which so many candidates have felt the need to tell us about their faith commitment: "And in every faith I have come to know, there are features I wish were in my own: I love the profound ceremony of the Catholic Mass, the approachability of God in the prayers of the Evangelicals, the tenderness of spirit among the Pentecostals, the confident independence of the Lutherans, the ancient traditions of the Jews, unchanged through the ages, and the commitment to frequent prayer of the Muslims."