From "Anti-religious diatribes come in many forms:"
Of course religion can be abused and belief in God turned to evil purposes. Yet far from threatening “the rights and protections’’ of America’s people, religious faith has been among their greatest safeguards. Far from disavowing any book or authority “higher than the Constitution,’’ our presidents place their hand on a Bible and swear to uphold that Constitution - “so help me God.’’ We have had our religious villains. But vastly more influential have been the American champions of liberty and equality - from Adams to Lincoln to King - who appealed to God and the Judeo-Christian tradition for the rightness of their cause.
For good reason, the Constitution bans any religious test to hold public office in the United States. No one must be Christian to run for president. But neither should being Christian be treated as a presidential disqualification. “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity,’’ George Washington avowed in his Farewell Address, “religion and morality are indispensable supports.’’ The sweep of American history bears out the wisdom in his words.
From "Anti-religious diatribes come in many forms:"
ReplyDeleteOf course religion can be abused and belief in God turned to evil purposes. Yet far from threatening “the rights and protections’’ of America’s people, religious faith has been among their greatest safeguards. Far from disavowing any book or authority “higher than the Constitution,’’ our presidents place their hand on a Bible and swear to uphold that Constitution - “so help me God.’’ We have had our religious villains. But vastly more influential have been the American champions of liberty and equality - from Adams to Lincoln to King - who appealed to God and the Judeo-Christian tradition for the rightness of their cause.
For good reason, the Constitution bans any religious test to hold public office in the United States. No one must be Christian to run for president. But neither should being Christian be treated as a presidential disqualification. “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity,’’ George Washington avowed in his Farewell Address, “religion and morality are indispensable supports.’’ The sweep of American history bears out the wisdom in his words.