Religion in a Presidential Race: A Troubling Precedent

Source:

JewishJournal.org

Religion in a Presidential Race: A Troubling Precedent

By Abraham H. Foxman

Following is an excerpt of an opinion piece that appears in its entirety at JewishJournal.org [1].

There is no place in our society for bigotry and one’s religion should never be a test for political office.

Yet it has become part of our political culture for candidates to be forced into asserting their religiosity.

The creeping emphasis on religion in our political culture should deeply concern all Americans.

Forty-seven years have passed since John F. Kennedy found it necessary to openly declare he was “not the Catholic candidate for president” but “the Democratic Party’s candidate who happens also to be a Catholic.”

Who would have thought the same nagging questions raised about Kennedy’s fitness for office would surface again in the 2008 presidential campaign.

It is disconcerting that some candidates are now engaged in a dangerous game of political one-upmanship in an effort to win over the “religious vote.”

In his address [to the nation on Mormonism and faith in America], Romney made four points that should resonate with every candidate and American.

First, our nation has a “grand tradition” of religious tolerance and liberty.

Second, we separate church and state affairs in this country — “no religion should dictate the state, nor should the state interfere with the free practice of religion.”

Third, “a person should not be elected because of his faith, nor should he be rejected because of his faith.”

And finally, no president should put the doctrine of any church above “the sovereign authority of the law.”

We welcome these four points, but there was a subtext to Romney's speech that provided some cause for concern.

The speech was not truly a reaffirmation of the importance of the separation of church and state. Rather, it reflected an effort in the current campaign — indeed on the part of many of the candidates — to appeal to religious voters on the basis of shared religiosity.

Unlike Kennedy, candidates are not seeking to convince the American people that religious beliefs should not be a test for office. Rather, they are emphasizing that their strongly-held religious beliefs are yet another reason to vote for them.

Appealing to voters along religious lines can be divisive, contrary to the American ideal of including all in the political process, and can open the door to violate the separation of government and religion.

Candidates should feel comfortable explaining their religious convictions to voters.

However, an emphasis on religion in a political campaign becomes inappropriate and even unsettling.

Abraham H. Foxman is national director of the Anti-Defamation League.

source: JewishJournal.org [2]

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