How would you like to have the Great Pumpkin elected to office? Well, read what columnist Wendy Doninger has to say about faith (or the lack of it) affecting the actions of presidential candidates if they were elected.
The first statement of this article quotes her saying,
I don’t care a fig about our next president’s personal religious views. The candidate can worship the Great Pumpkin, for all I care, as long as he or she doesn’t assume that the rest of us do too, and that the Great Pumpkin told him to do things such as, to take a case at random, invade Iraq.
I would be quite nervous to find out a Religions professor not caring about the religious beliefs of presidential candidates. I would also question as to the degree of influence of religion on that candidate's decision making and world view.
In the next paragraph, she states ...
But I certainly want to know what any presidential candidate thinks government should and should not do to protect freedom of religion and freedom from religion. The candidate may be a person of deep faith or a godless atheist, but what matters to me is the candidate’s willingness, and ability, to ensure that the law protects the rights of other people to have their own deep faith or godless atheism, and keep them from messing with one another.
My question is how do you keep them from messing with one another? Throughout US modern history and even in the news today, those people with deep faith and people with godless atheism have been at odds from judicial decisions on constitutional interpretation of law to the opinions and results why 9/11 happened.
It also appears that the conflict between these two groups has recently increased. From varied topics like gay marriage to intelligent design, these areas will bring up heated discussion and difficult conflict. People will have their strong opinions and passionate emotions toward these hot button topics and perhaps influence, impose, justify, admonish or state their beliefs on others.
For those opinions discussed in Professor Doninger's column about ensuring the rights of either group and preventing these groups from messing with each other, it is clearly a case much easier said, than done.
BTW, please read the varied and diverse comments from readers. Insightful comments from both people with faith and godless atheism.
In summary, religious beliefs of candidates will be controversial for some. Undoubtedly and obviously, this will affect how some potential voters will vote. In the last couple presidential elections, religious beliefs (believers) have indeed influenced the outcome for 2000 and 2004 elections. Quite a number of people of faith had gone to the polls. If you have read my blog lately, you may have read some postings how potential candidates for the 2008 race are conducting outreach opportunities and examining how to reach evangelicals and other religious groups.
On a separate note, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is one of my all time seasonal cartoons to watch as a child. As a guilty pleasure, I still get a treat watching it now as an adult.
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