美国经典英文演讲100篇:Truth and Tolerance in America(3)
A generation ago, a presidential candidate had to prove his independence of undue religious influence in public life, and he had to do so partly at the insistence of evangelical Protestants. John Kennedy said at that time: “I believe in an America where there is no religious bloc voting of any kind.” Only twenty years later, another candidate was appealing to a[n] evangelical meeting as a religious bloc. Ronald Reagan said to 15 thousand evangelicals at the Roundtable in Dallas: “ I know that you can't endorse me. I want you to know I endorse you and what you are doing.”
To many Americans, that pledge was a sign and a symbol of a dangerous breakdown in the separation of church and state. Yet this principle, as vital as it is, is not a simplistic and rigid command. Separation of church and state cannot mean an absolute separation between moral principles and political power. The challenge today is to recall the origin of the principle, to define its purpose, and refine its application to the politics of the present.
二十几年前，一个总统候选人必须表明自己不会让宗教对公共生活有不恰当的影响，其部分原因是福音派新教徒坚决主张这样做。约翰•肯尼迪那时说：“我信仰这样一个美国；在那里没有任何形式的宗教集团的投票。”二十年后，另一个总统候选人却呼吁福音教派会形成一个集团。里根总统在达拉斯的一次非正式会议上对15000名福音教派新教徒说：“我知道你们不支持我，但我想让你们知道，我支持你们和你们的事业。”
对许多美国人来说，里根的诺言是一个危险的信号，它会打破政教分离的原则。然而，这一重要原则并不是过于简单化的严格命令。政教分离并不意味着道德准则和政权的绝对分离。我们今天所面临的任务是，恢复这一原则的原始面貌，明确其宗旨，确定在当今政治生活中如何应用这一原则。
1． Religious a. 宗教的
Our parents were very religious and very patriotic.
我们的父母非常虔诚,非常爱国。
2. bloc n. 团体;联盟;集团
That country has shown signs of latching onto the NATO bloc.
有迹象表明，那个国家将参加北大西洋公约组织。
3. evangelical a. 福音的
They are pushing their ideas with an almost evangelical fervor.
他们以一种近似福音传道的热情来推行他们的主张。
4. endorse v. 赞同，许可
This is an attitude which I endorse.
这也是我所珍视的态度。
5. principle n. 原则，原理
If our application relies on this principle, it's natural to wonder about the uncertainty of our predictions.
如果我们的程序依靠该原则，预言的不确定性是很自然的。
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