里根在美国全国福音派联会年会上的演讲

里根在美国全国福音派联会年会上的演讲

Thank you. Thank you very much.

And, Reverend Clergy all, Senator Hawkins, distinguished members of the Florida congressional delegation, and all of you: I can’t tell you how you have warmed my heart with your welcome. I’m delighted to be here today.

Those of you in the National Association of Evangelicals are known for your spiritual and humanitarian work. And I would be especially remiss if I didn’t discharge right now one personal debt of gratitude. Thank you for your prayers. Nancy and I have felt their presence many times in many ways. And believe me, for us they’ve made all the difference.

The other day in the East Room of the White House at a meeting there, someone asked me whether I was aware of all the people out there who were praying for the President. And I had to say,“Yes, I am. I’ve felt it. I believe in intercessionary prayer.”But I couldn’t help but say to that questioner after he’d asked the question that—or at least say to them that if sometimes when he was praying he got a busy signal, it was just me in there ahead of him. I think I understand how Abraham Lincoln felt when he said,“I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”From the joy and the good feeling of this conference, I go to a political reception. Now, I do not know why, but that bit of scheduling reminds me of a story which I will share with you.

An evangelical minister and a politician arrived at Heaven’s gate one day together. And St. Peter, after doing all the necessary formalities, took them in hand to show them where their quarters would be. And he took them to a small, single room with a bed, a chair, and a table and said this was for the clergyman. And the politician was a little worried about what might be in store for him. And he couldn’t believe it then when St. Peter stopped in front of a beautiful mansion with lovely grounds, many servants, and told him that these would be his quarters.

And he couldn’t help but ask, he said,“But wait, how—there’s something wrong—how do I get this mansion while that good and holy man only gets a single room?”And St. Peter said,“You have to understand how things are up here. We’ve got thousands and thousands of clergy. You’re the first politician who ever made it.”

But I don’t want to contribute to a stereotype. So I tell you there are a great many God-fearing, dedicated, noble men and women in public life, present company included. And yes, we need your help to keep us ever-mindful of the ideas and the principles that brought us into the public arena in the first place. The basis of those ideals and principles is a commitment to freedom and personal liberty that, itself is grounded in the much deeper realization that freedom prospers only where the blessings of God are avidly sought and humbly accepted.

The American experiment in democracy rests on this insight. Its discovery was the great triumph of our Founding Fathers, voiced by William Penn when he said: “If we will not be governed by God, we must be governed by tyrants.”Explaining the inalienable rights of men, Jefferson said,“The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time.”And it was George Washington who said“of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”

And finally, that shrewdest of all observers of American democracy, Alexis de Tocqueville, put it eloquently after he had gone on a search for the secret of America’s greatness and genius—and he said:“Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the greatness and the genius of America. America is good. And if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

Well, I’m pleased to be here today with you who are keeping America great by keeping her good. Only through your work, prayers, and those of millions of others can we hope to survive this perilous century and keep alive this experiment in liberty, this last, best hope of man.

I want you to know that this administration is motivated by a political philosophy that sees the greatness of America in you, her people, and in your families, churches, neighborhoods, communities: the institutions that foster and nourish values like concern for others and respect for the rule of law under God.

Now, I don’t have to tell you that this puts us in opposition to, or at least out of step with, a—a prevailing attitude of many who have turned to a modern-day secularism, discarding the tried and time-tested values upon which our very civilization is based. No matter how well intentioned, their value system is radically different from that of most Americans. And while they proclaim that they’re freeing us from superstitions of the past, they’ve taken upon themselves the job of superintending us by government rule and regulation. Sometimes their voices are louder than ours, but they are not yet a majority.

An example of that vocal superiority is evident in a controversy now going on in Washington. And since I’m involved, I’ve been waiting to hear from the parents of young America. How far are they willing to go in giving to government their prerogatives as parents?

Let me state the case as briefly and simply as I can. An organization of citizens, sincerely motivated, deeply concerned about the increase in illegitimate births and abortions involving girls well below the age of consent, some time ago established a nationwide network of clinics to offer help to these girls and, hopefully, alleviate this situation. Now, again, let me say, I do not fault their intent. However, in their well-intentioned effort, these clinics decided to provide advice and birth control drugs and devices to underage girls without the knowledge of their parents.

For some years now, the federal government has helped with funds to subsidize these clinics. In providing for this, the Congress decreed that every effort would be made to maximize parental participation. Nevertheless, the drugs and devices are prescribed without getting parental consent or giving notification after they’ve done so. Girls termed“sexually active”—and that has replaced the word“promiscuous”—are given this help in order to prevent illegitimate birth or abortion.

Well, we have ordered clinics receiving federal funds to notify the parents such help has been given. One of the nation’s leading newspapers has created the term“squeal rule”in editorializing against us for doing this, and we’re being criticized for violating the privacy of young people. A judge has recently granted an injunction against an enforcement of our rule. I have watched TV panel shows discuss this issue, seen columnists pontificating on our error, but no one seems to mention morality as playing a part in the subject of sex.

Is all of Judeo-Christian tradition wrong? Are we to believe that something so sacred can be looked upon as a purely physical thing with no potential for emotional and psychological harm? And isn’t it the parents’ right to give counsel and advice to keep their children from making mistakes that may affect their entire lives?

Many of us in government would like to know what parents think about this intrusion in their family by government. We’re going to fight in the courts. The right of parents and the rights of family take precedence over those of Washington-based bureaucrats and social engineers.

But the fight against parental notification is really only one example of many attempts to water down traditional values and even abrogate the original terms of American democracy. Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged. When our Founding Fathers passed the First Amendment, they sought to protect churches from government interference. They never intended to construct a wall of hostility between government and the concept of religious belief itself.

The evidence of this permeates our history and our government. The Declaration of Independence mentions the Supreme Being no less than four times.“In God We Trust”is engraved on our coinage. The Supreme Court opens its proceedings with a religious invocation. And the members of Congress open their sessions with a prayer. I just happen to believe the schoolchildren of the United States are entitled to the same privileges as Supreme Court justices and congressmen.

Last year, I sent the Congress a constitutional amendment to restore prayer to public schools. Already this session, there is growing bipartisan support for the amendment, and I am calling on the Congress to act speedily to pass it and to let our children pray.

Perhaps some of you read recently about the Lubbock school case, where a judge actually ruled that it was unconstitutional for a school district to give equal treatment to religious and nonreligious student groups, even when the group meetings were being held during the students’ own time. The First Amendment never intended to require government to discriminate against religious speech.

Senators Denton and Hatfield have proposed legislation in the Congress on the whole question of prohibiting discrimination against religious forms of student speech. Such legislation could go far to restore freedom of religious speech for public school students. And I hope the Congress considers these bills quickly. And with your help, I think it’s possible we could also get the constitutional amendment through the Congress this year.

More than a decade ago, a Supreme Court decision literally wiped off the books of fifty states statutes protecting the rights of unborn children. Abortion on demand now takes the lives of up to one and a half million unborn children a year. Human life legislation ending this tragedy will someday pass the Congress, and you and I must never rest until it does. Unless and until it can be proven that the unborn child is not a living entity, then its right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness must be protected.

You may remember that when abortion on demand began, many, and indeed, I am sure many of you, warned that the practice would lead to a decline in respect for human life, that the philosophical premises used to justify abortion on demand would ultimately be used to justify other attacks on the sacredness of human life—infanticide or mercy killing. Tragically enough, those warnings proved all too true. Only last year a court permitted the death by starvation of a handicapped infant.

I have directed the Health and Human Services Department to make clear to every health care facility in the United States that the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects all handicapped persons against discrimination based on handicaps, including infants. And we have taken the further step of requiring that each and every recipient of federal funds who provides health care services to infants must post and keep posted in a conspicuous place a notice stating “discriminatory failure to feed and care for handicapped infants in this facility is prohibited by federal law.”It also lists a twenty-four-hour; toll-free number so that nurses and others may report violations in time to save the infant’s life.

In addition, recent legislation introduced by—in the Congress by Representative Henry Hyde of Illinois not only increases restrictions on publicly financed abortions, it also addresses this whole problem of infanticide. I urge the Congress to begin hearings and to adopt legislation that will protect the right of life to all children, including the disabled or handicapped.

Now, I’m sure that you must get discouraged at times, but there you’ve done better than you know, perhaps. There’s a great spiritual awakening in America, a renewal of the traditional values that have been the bedrock of America’s goodness and greatness.

One recent survey by a Washington-based research council concluded that Americans were far more religious than the people of other nations were; 95 percent of those surveyed expressed a belief in God and a huge majority believed the Ten Commandments had real meaning in their lives. And another study has found that an overwhelming majority of Americans disapprove of adultery, teenage sex, pornography, abortion, and hard drugs. And this same study showed a deep reverence for the importance of family ties and religious belief.

I think the items that we’ve discussed here today must be a key part of the nation’s political agenda. For the first time the Congress is openly and seriously debating and dealing with the prayer and abortion issues and that’s enormous progress right there. I repeat: America is in the midst of a spiritual awakening and a moral renewal. And with your biblical keynote, I say today,“Yes, let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.”

Now, obviously, much of this new political and social consensus I’ve talked about is based on a positive view of American history, one that takes pride in our country’s accomplishments and record. But we must never forget that no government schemes are going to perfect man.

We know that living in this world means dealing with what philosophers would call the phenomenology of evil or, as theologians would put it, the doctrine of sin.There is sin and evil in the world, and we’re enjoined by Scripture and the Lord Jesus to oppose it with all our might. Our nation, too, has a legacy of evil with which it must deal. The glory of this land has been its capacity for transcending the moral evils of our past. For example, the long struggle of minority citizens for equal rights, once a source of disunity and civil war is now a point of pride for all Americans. We must never go back. There is no room for racism, anti-Semitism, or other forms of ethnic and racial hatred in this country.

I know that you’ve been horrified, as have I, by the resurgence of some hate groups preaching bigotry and prejudice. Use the mighty voice of your pulpits and the powerful standing of your churches to denounce and isolate these hate groups in our midst. The commandment given us is clear and simple:“Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.”

But whatever sad episodes exist in our past, any objective observer must hold a positive view of American history, a history that has been the story of hopes fulfilled and dreams made into reality. Especially in this century, America has kept alight the torch of freedom, but not just for ourselves but for millions of others around the world.

And this brings me to my final point today. During my first press conference as president, in answer to a direct question, I pointed out that, as good Marxist-Leninists, the Soviet leaders have openly and publicly declared that the only morality they recognize is that which will further their cause, which is world revolution. I think I should point out I was only quoting Lenin, their guiding spirit, who said in 1920 that they repudiate all morality that proceeds from supernatural ideas—that’s their name for religion—or ideas that are outside class conceptions. Morality is entirely subordinate to the interests of class war. And everything is moral that is necessary for the annihilation of the old, exploiting social order and for uniting the proletariat.

Well, I think the refusal of many influential people to accept this elementary fact of Soviet doctrine illustrates a historical reluctance to see totalitarian powers for what they are. We saw this phenomenon in the 1930s. We see it too often today.

This doesn’t mean we should isolate ourselves and refuse to seek an understanding with them. I intend to do everything I can to persuade them of our peaceful intent, to remind them that it was the West that refused to use its nuclear monopoly in the forties and fifties for territorial gain and which now proposes 50 percent cut in strategic ballistic missiles and the elimination of an entire class of land-based, intermediate-range nuclear missiles.

At the same time, however, they must be made to understand we will never compromise our principles and standards. We will never give away our freedom. We will never abandon our belief in God. And we will never stop searching for a genuine peace. But we can assure none of these things America stands for through the so-called nuclear freeze solutions proposed by some.

The truth is that a freeze now would be a very dangerous fraud, for that is merely the illusion of peace. The reality is that we must find peace through strength.

I would agree to a freeze if only we could freeze the Soviets’ global desires. A freeze at current levels of weapons would remove any incentive for the Soviets to negotiate seriously in Geneva and virtually end our chances to achieve the major arms reductions, which we have proposed. Instead, they would achieve their objectives through the freeze.

A freeze would reward the Soviet Union for its enormous and unparalleled military buildup. It would prevent the essential and long overdue modernization of United States and allied defenses and would leave our aging forces increasingly vulnerable. And an honest freeze would require extensive prior negotiations on the systems and numbers to be limited and on the measures to ensure effective verification and compliance. And the kind of a freeze that has been suggested would be virtually impossible to verify. Such a major effort would divert us completely from our current negotiations on achieving substantial reductions.

A number of years ago, I heard a young father, a very prominent young man in the entertainment world, addressing a tremendous gathering in California. It was during the time of the cold war, and communism and our own way of life were very much on people’s minds. And he was speaking to that subject. And suddenly, though, I heard him saying,“I love my little girls more than anything.”And I said to myself,“Oh, no, don’t. You can’t—don’t say that.”But I had underestimated him. He went on: “I would rather see my little girls die now; still believing in God, than have them grow up under communism and one day die no longer believing in God.”

There were thousands of young people in that audience. They came to their feet with shouts of joy. They had instantly recognized the profound truth in what he had said, with regard to the physical and the soul and what was truly important.

Yes, let us pray for the salvation of all of those who live in that totalitarian darkness. Pray they will discover the joy of knowing God. But until they do, let us be aware that while they preach the supremacy of the State, declare its omnipotence over individual man, and predict its eventual domination of all peoples on the earth, they are the focus of evil in the modern world.

It was C.S. Lewis who, in his unforgettable Screw Tape Letters, wrote:“The greatest evil is not done now in those sordid‘dens of crime’that Dickens loved to paint. It is not even done in concentration camps and labor camps. In those, we see its result. But it is conceived and ordered; moved, seconded, carried and minuted in clear, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice.”

Well, because these quiet men do not raise their voices, because they sometimes speak in soothing tones of brotherhood and peace, because, like other dictators before them, they are always making “their final territorial demand,”some would have us accept them at their word and accommodate ourselves to their aggressive impulses. But if history teaches anything, it teaches that simpleminded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly. It means the betrayal of our past, the squandering of our freedom.

So, I urge you to speak out against those who would place the United States in a position of military and moral inferiority. You know, I’ve always believed that old Screw Tape reserved his best efforts for those of you in the Church. So, in your discussions of the nuclear freeze proposals, I urge you to beware the temptation of pride—the temptation of blithely declaring yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault, to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil.

I ask you to resist the attempts of those who would have you withhold your support for our efforts, this administration’s efforts, to keep America strong and free, while we negotiate real and verifiable reductions in the world’s nuclear arsenals and one day, with God’s help, their total elimination.

While America’s military strength is important, let me add here that I’ve always maintained that the struggle now going on for the world will never be decided by bombs or rockets, by armies or military might. The real crisis we face today is a spiritual one; at root, it is a test of moral will and faith.

Whittaker Chambers, the man whose own religious conversion made him a witness to one of the terrible traumas of our time, the Hiss-Chambers case, wrote that the crisis of the Western world exists to the degree in which the West is indifferent to God, the degree to which it collaborates in communism’s attempt to make man stand alone without God. Then he said, for Marxism-Leninism is actually the second-oldest faith, first proclaimed in the Garden of Eden with the words of temptation,“Ye shall be as gods.”

The Western world can answer this challenge, he wrote,“But only provided that its faith in God and the freedom He enjoins is as great as communism’s faith in man.”

I believe we shall rise to the challenge. I believe that communism is another sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last—last pages even now are being written. I believe this because the source of our strength in the quest for human freedom is not material, but spiritual. And because it knows no limitation, it must terrify and ultimately triumph over those who would enslave their fellow man. For in the words of Isaiah:“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increased strength. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary.”

Yes, change your world. One of our Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine, said,“We have it within our power to begin the world over again.”We can do it, doing together what no one church could do by itself.

God bless you and thank you very much.

谢谢大家!非常感谢。

尊敬的宗教领袖们、霍金斯参议员、尊贵的弗罗里达国会代表团的成员、先生们：你们的欢迎让我感受到无法言表的温暖。今天在这里我感到非常愉快。

全国福音派联会的人士们所拥有的人道主义精神名闻遐迩。如果我不先向你们表达我的感激之情，我就太过傲慢无礼了。感谢你们的祈祷。南希和我经常能感受到你们就在身边的温暖。相信我，对我们来说，你们非常重要。

有一天，在白宫的东厅举行会议时，有人问我，是否注意到那些在外面一直为总统祈祷的人群。我说：“是的，我注意到了。我能感受到这一点。我相信代祷的作用。”但我又情不自禁地要告诉他——实际上也是对在场的所有人说，“如果有时候他在祈祷时得不到响应，那是因为我当时已经在上帝面前了。”亚伯拉罕·林肯说：“当我深信自己走投无路时，我总是要向上帝跪下呼求。”我想我理解林肯说这话时的感受。怀着对这次聚会的愉快心情和美好感受，我要转入政治话题。我不知道为什么，但那个日程安排让我想起一个故事。

有一天，一位福音派牧师和一个政客来到天堂的大门前。圣彼得办完了所有必要的手续后，领着他们来到各自的住处。他先领着他们来到一个小单间，里面只有一张床、一把椅子和一张桌子，说这是为牧师准备的。看到这个情形，政客有点惴惴不安，不知道等待他的将会是什么。

当圣彼得领着他来到一所富丽堂皇、仆佣成群的大宅子时，他简直不相信自己的眼睛。他禁不住问彼得：“等等，有没有搞错?我怎么会有这样的寓所，而那个虔诚圣洁的人只得到一个单间?”彼得回答道：“你要明白，这里是物以稀为贵。我们已经有了数不清的牧师，而你是来这里的第一位政客。”

我说这个故事并不是要为这些陈词滥调助兴。而是要告诉你们，包括本人所在的部门，许许多多担任公职的人都是敬畏上帝、甘于奉献、品格高贵的人。我们需要你们的帮助，以使我们得以铭记那些将我们第一次带入政治舞台的理念与原则。这些理念与原则的基础是对自由和个人权利的信守，而这种信守本身又是建立在深刻的体察上。即只有在热切探求和谦卑地领受上帝祝福的地方，自由才会繁荣兴旺。

美国人对于民主的试验是基于对上帝虔诚基础之上的。它的发现是国父们的伟大胜利，威廉·佩恩说：“如果我们不愿受治于上帝，我们必受治于暴君。”在诠释不可剥夺的人权时，杰弗逊说：“上天在赐予我们生命的同时也赐予了我们自由。”华盛顿说：“在导致政治昌盛的各种意向和习惯中，宗教和道德是必不可少的支柱。”

最后，当探究美国何以如此伟大和富有创造力的秘密时，托克维尔这位对于美国民主最为敏锐的观察家雄辩地指出：“当我走进美国的教堂，听到闪耀着公义之火的布道时，我才真正明白美国何以如此伟大和天赋非凡。美国人是虔信上帝的。而一旦美国不再虔诚，也将不再伟大。”

今天能与你们这些通过保持美国人的虔诚而使美国继续伟大的人士相聚，我感到非常愉快。只有通过你们和其他成千上万人的工作和祈祷，才能使我们在这个危机四伏的世纪有望幸存下来，并使自由这一人类最美好的希望生机勃勃。

我希望你们知道，我们的行政部门是由一种政治哲学推动的，这一政治哲学在你们、你们的家庭、教会、邻里和社区中间发现了美国的伟大：即各种制度均致力于鼓励和培植诸如关心他人和尊重上帝之下法治之类的价值观。

现在，你们想必与我一样清楚，正是这些价值观使我们与流行于当下许多人中间的态度大相径庭，或与他们格格不入。他们奉行一种现代化的世俗主义，将我们的文明赖以立基的价值观视如粪土，尽管这些价值观坚实可靠并经过时间的检验。不管他们出于何种善意，他们的价值体系与大多数美国人所持的立场截然不同。虽然他们宣称，他们正使我们从对过去的迷信中解放出来，但他们从事的工作却是借助政府的统治和威权来监控我们。有时候他们的嗓门似乎比我们大，但他们从未赢得多数。

那种调门拔高的例子，在最近华盛顿的一场争论中显而易见。自从我卷入这场争论以来，我就期待着能听到美国年轻人父母们的想法。他们究竟愿意向政府移交多少他们作为人之父母的特权?

让我尽可能简明扼要地说一下这个事例。一个动机纯正、对于日益增加的少年非法生育和堕胎现象深感关切的公民团体，不久前成立了一个全国性的医疗诊所网络，向那些不到法定年龄的女孩子们提供帮助，并希望能减轻她们所面临的困境。我要说，我并不对他们的意图吹毛求疵。然而，在这项意愿良好的努力中，这些诊所居然决定在未征求她们父母意见的情况下，向这些女孩子提供节育建议、药物和方法。

几年来，联邦政府一直向这些诊所提供资助。在提供资助时，国会要求采取一切措施以使父母的参与最大化。然而，医生在开药或教授方法时，事先并没有征得父母的同意，事后也没有向他们说明。他们就是这样帮助那些被称为“性活跃”而不是“乱交”的女孩子们防止非法生育或堕胎的。

是的，我们已经责令那些接受联邦拨款的诊所必须要向父母们通报他们所提供的帮助。而一份全国性的大报却在编者按中杜撰了一个“告密规则”来对我们进行指控，批评我们侵犯了年轻人的“隐私权”。一位法官最近发布了一项禁令，阻止我们实施这项措施。我看过有关这个话题的电视讨论，专栏作家们在里面一本正经地谴责我们的“错误”，但似乎没人提及在性问题上的道德成分。

难道犹太基督教传统全都错了吗?难道我们必须相信那些如此神圣的东西只与肉体相关而不会造成感情和心理上的伤害吗?父母们难道没有权利向他们的子女提出忠告和建议，以避免他们犯下有可能贻恨终生的大错吗?

我们政府中的许多人都想知道父母们在家里是如何思考这一由政府造成的局面的。我们会在法庭抗争下去。父母的权利以及家庭的权利优先于那些以华盛顿为基地的官僚们和社会工程师们的权利。

但是，反对告知父母仅是企图淡化传统价值观，甚至废除美国民主根本原则的众多事例中的一例而已。自由的繁荣有赖于宗教的兴旺以及人们对上帝之下法治的尊重。当国父们通过第一修正案时，他们是在谋求使教会免于政府的干预。他们从未打算在政府和宗教信仰之间树起一道敌视之墙。

我们的历史和政府中处处都有关于此一事实的证据。独立宣言中提到上帝的次数不少于四次。“我们信仰上帝”这句话就镌刻在我们的钱币上。最高法院以宗教祈祷来启动它的司法程序，国会议员们以祈祷来揭开会议的序幕，而我也碰巧相信美国的学童们享有与最高法院大法官和国会议员们同样的特权。

去年，我向国会递交了一个宪法修正案，要求恢复公立学校的祈祷活动。而在这届国会开会期间，两党中有越来越多的人支持这项修正案，我呼吁国会尽快通过该案，以使我们的孩子们能够祈祷。

也许你们中的一些人看过最近发生的卢伯克学校案，在此案中，一个法官宣布，学校给予有宗教信仰的学生和无宗教信仰的学生同等待遇其实是不合宪的，即使聚会是在学生课余时间进行也是如此。第一修正案从未打算要求政府歧视宗教演讲。

丹顿和哈特菲尔德参议员已经在国会提交了一项法案，禁止对宗教性的学生演讲形式予以歧视。这项立法将足以恢复公立学校学生在宗教方面的言论自由。我希望国会能够迅速地考虑这些议案。靠着你们的帮助，我想我们很有可能在今年就获得这一宪法修正案。

十年前，最高法院的一项决定逐一抹去了五十个州关于保护胎儿权利的法规条款。有求必应式的堕胎每年至少要夺去150万胎儿的生命。终结这一悲剧的人类生命法案迟早有一天要在国会通过，不达目的我们决不罢休。除非有证据证明胎儿不是一个生命体，否则它的生命权、它的自由和它追求幸福的权利就必须得到保护。

你们可能还记得，当有求必应的堕胎刚开始时，许多人(这其中也包括你们中的许多人)都警告说，这一措施会使人们不再尊重生命，而被用于使堕胎合法化的哲学前提最终也会被用来为诸如杀婴或安乐死等其他蔑视生命神圣的行为做辩护。不幸的是，这些警告一一验证了。去年就有一家法院允许饿死一名残疾儿童。

我已经指示卫生及公共事务部向每一家美国卫生保健机构讲清楚，1973年通过的康复法案保护所有的残疾人，反对任何基于残疾而产生的歧视，包括儿童。我们还采取了进一步的措施，要求每一个接受联邦拨款的婴幼儿保健机构必须在显眼位置始终张贴布告：“基于歧视原因未对残疾婴幼儿进行喂食和照顾的行为均为联邦法律所禁止。”机构还必须列出一个二十四小时的免费电话号码，使护士及其他人能及时报告侵害事件，以拯救婴儿的生命。

另外，最近由伊利诺斯州的众议员亨利·海德提交的立法，不仅增加了对堕胎公款报销的限制，而且还关注杀婴问题。我敦促国会举行听证会并通过该法案，以保护所有孩子们的生命权，包括那些残疾儿童的生命权。

现在，我肯定你们有时会感到灰心丧气，但也许你们所做的比你们所知的还要好。美国正经历一次精神上的觉醒，那为美国的虔诚和伟大奠基的传统价值观正在复兴。

一个设在华盛顿的研究理事会最近做了一个调查，得出的结果是美国人要比其他国家的人民虔诚得多。95%的被调查者表示信仰上帝，绝大多数人相信十诫在他们的生活中具有现实意义。另一个研究发现，压倒性多数的美国人不赞成通奸、少年性交、色情描写、堕胎和毒品。这些如出一辙的研究表明，人们深切尊重家庭纽带和宗教信仰的重要性。

我想我们今天讨论的课题一定会在国家的政治日程中发挥关键作用。这是国会首次就祈祷和堕胎问题进行公开而认真的辩论，这本身就是一项巨大的进步。我重申美国正处在精神觉醒和道德复兴之中。今天我要用《圣经》中的话说：“唯愿公平如江河滔滔，使公义如溪水潺潺。”

很明显我所谈及的这种崭新的政治和社会共识中的大部分，立基于对美国历史的正面评价上，它以我们国家的历史成就为荣。但我们必须永远不要忘记，没有哪个政府计划会导致人的完美。

我们知道生活在这世界上就意味着要与哲学家所谓的邪恶或神学家所称的罪恶做斗争。世界上存在着罪恶与邪恶，而圣经和主耶稣呼召我们用一己之力去与之抗争。我们国家同样也拥有一份必须予以抵制的邪恶流毒。这片土地的荣耀之处就在于它有能力超越我们曾有过的道德罪恶。例如，少数族裔的公民为着争取平等权利而展开的长期抗争一度引发了分裂与内战，而现在却成为全体美国人为之自豪的一个亮点。我们决不会回到过去。在这个国家我们不会容忍种族主义、反犹太主义或其他各种形式的民族及种族仇恨。

我知道你们一直和我一样，对于一些散布固执偏见的讨厌团伙的复活而忧心忡忡。请用你们洪亮的布道和坚定的立场抨击我们中间这些令人憎恶的团伙。上帝赐予我们的诫命清晰而直率：“要爱邻人如己。”

无论我们曾经有过什么样的不幸插曲，任何客观的观察家都会对美国的历史持积极的看法。我们的历史就是希望得以实现，梦想得以成真的动人故事。特别是在本世纪，美国使自由的火炬经久不息，不仅是为了我们自己，还为了全世界成千上万的人民。

由此我将谈及今天的最后一个话题。在我作为总统举行的第一次记者招待会上，在回答一个直率的问题时，我曾指出，苏联领导人是不错的马列主义者，他们开诚布公地宣称，他们所承认的唯一道德就是推动他们的事业，就是世界革命。我想我应该指出，这里我只引用了他们的精神导师列宁的话，他在1920年曾说，他们摒弃一切源于超自然观念的道德——那是他们给宗教下的定义——或与阶级学说无关的观念。道德完全服务于阶级斗争的需要。一种东西是否道德，取决于它是否为消灭旧的、剥削性的社会秩序和统一无产阶级的事业所必需。

我想许多有影响的人士拒绝接受苏联教条的这一基本观点，体现了对于极权主义本质的历史性抗拒。我们在20世纪30年代就目睹了这种抗拒。今天我们依然到处可见这种抗拒。

但这不意味着我们应该自我孤立并且拒绝寻求与他们的谅解。我打算尽一切努力去使他们相信我们的和平意愿，我要提醒他们，是西方在20世纪40年代和50年代拒绝利用其在核技术方面的垄断地位以扩张领土，同样是西方在今天提议削减50%的战略弹道导弹，以及销毁全部的陆基中程核导弹。

但是同时，他们也必须明白，我们永远不会拿我们的原则和准则讨价还价。我们永远不会出让我们的自由。我们永远不会背弃对上帝的信仰。我们也永远不会停止谋求一种真正的和平。但我们不能保证美国所支持的这些东西能够通过某些人士提出的所谓核冻结方案得到维护。

真实情况却是，现在的冻结将会成为一种非常危险的欺诈，因为它仅仅是和平的幻象。实际上我们必须通过实力来寻求和平。

只有当我们能够冻结苏联的全球野心时，我才会同意某种冻结。在当前水准下的武器冻结将使苏联在日内瓦与我们进行认真谈判的动机不复存在，事实上它会断送我们提出的削减主要军备的机会，更有甚者他们会通过冻结来达成他们的目的。

一次冻结给予苏联的奖赏就是庞大而且无与伦比的军事积累。而美国及盟国的国防现代化却会受到阻止，从而使我们日趋老化的军事力量弱不禁风。一种诚实的冻结会就限制的系统和数量、确保有效性核查和执行的措施等问题进行广泛的先行谈判。而现在提出的冻结实际上不可能进行核查。这样一种努力会使我们完全偏离目前正在进行的，达成实质性削减的谈判。

几年前，我在加利福尼亚州一个人数众多的集会上听到一位年轻人的演讲。他是位年轻的父亲并且在娱乐圈名声大噪。在冷战期间，共产主义和我们自己的生活方式成为许多人萦绕心头的一个问题。当时他所谈的就是这个题目。突然，我听到他说：“我爱我的女儿们胜过一切。”我自言自语道：“哦，别那么说。你不能那么说，别说那个。”但是我低估了他。他接着说道：“但我宁可看到我的孩子们现在怀着对上帝的信念阖然长逝，也不愿她们在共产主义的阴影下成长，并且有朝一日带着对上帝无所信仰的心态死去。”

听众当中有上千名年轻人，他们站起身来欢呼雀跃。他们立即就明白了那位父亲的话中所包含的深刻真理，即物质与精神何者是真正重要的。

让我们为所有那些生活于极权主义黑幕中的人祈祷。祝愿他们发现认识上帝的喜乐。但是在他们认识上帝之前，我们必须警觉，只要他们继续鼓吹国家的至高无上，宣扬国家对于个体的万能，并预言它将最终统治全人类，他们就是现代世界的邪恶中心。

刘易斯在他令人难忘的《地狱来鸿》中写道：“当今最大的邪恶，并非是在狄更斯所热衷描绘的肮脏的罪恶之窟中炮制出来的，它甚至不是在集中营和劳改营犯下的，那些地方只是邪恶发作的最终结果。当今最大的邪恶是在整洁豪华、温暖明亮的办公室里构思和安排的;是由那些衣着光鲜、言谈斯文的人鼓动、支持、散布和记录的。

结果，由于这些人言谈斯文，由于他们有时流利自如地畅谈手足之情与和平，由于他们能像某些以前的独裁者一样总是在“最后才提出领土要求”，一些人就会要求我们相信他们的表白并且顺从他们的非份之想。但是，如果历史教会了我们，对对手一味妥协或一厢情愿实属愚不可及。它意味着背叛我们的过去，虚掷我们的自由。

因此，我敦促你们大声反对那些将美国置于军事和道德劣等地位的人士。我一直相信你们这些教会人士才是鲁益师书中那个老魔鬼的眼中钉。因此，在你们讨论核冻结提议时，我要提醒你们谨防傲慢的诱惑，那是一种洋洋自得地宣称自己凌驾于一切之上，并对双方各打五十大板的诱惑。它无视一个邪恶帝国的历史和勃勃野心，径自宣布军备竞赛不过是一场巨大的误会，由此而使自己游离于对与错、善与恶之外。

本届政府在尽力使美国保持强大和自由。当我们正在为真正和切实地削减核武库，并在上帝的帮助下最终彻底消灭核武器而进行谈判时，有些人会使你们撤回对我们努力的支持，我请求你们抵制这种诱惑。

虽然美国的军事实力是重要的，但我在这里要补充一点：我始终确信，当前为世界而进行的抗争从来不取决于炸弹或火箭，也不取决于军队或军事力量。我们今天所面临的真正危机是精神上的，从根本上说，是对道德意志和信仰的检验。

惠特克·钱伯斯，这位希斯·钱伯斯间谍案中的主角，以其自身的变节，见证了我们时代可怕创伤的人曾写道：“某种程度上，西方世界的危机在于人们对上帝的漠视，从而配合了共产主义将人与神疏离开来的尝试。”他又说道：“马列主义实际上是人类第二种最为古老的信仰，第一种信仰则是伊甸园中的诱惑之音：‘你们会像神一样。’”

西方世界能够回应这种挑战，他写道：“但这只有假定西方对上帝及天赋自由的信念与共产主义对人的信念一样伟大才行。”

我相信我们能够迎接这种挑战。我相信共产主义是人类历史上一个悲惨而诡异的篇章，即使这一章已经临近终结。我相信这是因为我们探求自由的力量源泉不是物质上的，而是精神上的。而且由于它是无尽的，所以必然对那些奴役同类的人形成威慑，并最终战胜他们。因为以赛亚书中写道：“疲乏的，他赐予气力;无力的，他给予力量。但那些仰望主的人，必重新获得力量;他们必像鹰一样展翅上腾;他们奔跑，决不疲倦。”

改变你们的世界。我们的国父之一潘恩曾说：“我们拥有重塑世界的内在力量。”我们能做到这一点，让我们同心协力来完成这项仅凭一己之力无法完成的事业。

愿上帝保佑你们，谢谢大家。