Recently, I was watching TV when Ben Carson said that he felt Islam was incompatible with the constitution, and that he was uncomfortable with a Muslim being president. Politically Incorrect? Sure! But he said what a lot of the people in mainstream America feel, and are voicing in both rural and urban settings. So why are the pundits giving him a hard time?
In an age where the Middle East is center most in the political debate, often ahead of jobs, education, and health care, the religion of a candidate for POTUS often gives us an idea about his/her thinking about an issue. Would you have wanted Joe Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew, having to deal with a possible rapprochement with Iran? I certainly wouldn't. But I wouldn't want either a Sunni or Shiite Muslim directly involved with the negotiations either - they may have too much emotional "skin" in the game to make a decision which meets the best interest of ALL Americans.
Carson did say that he was comfortable with a Muslim in the Legislative branch - as long as he/she subscribed to the basic secular values of the United States. And in many ways, most Americans support people who are not religious extremists being part of government at all levels.
The US Constitution says that no religious litmus test (my words) shall be used to qualify a person for running for any office in the United States. This is a good thing. But it doesn't prevent the individual from using a person's religion as a guide to how he/she would deal with certain issues. For example, POTUS is a 24x7 job. Would we want someone who "religiously" observes Shabbos to be president? I'm not sure. But we've already had a Christian (in the 1800's) who would not work on Sunday be elected president, and as a result, we actually had a day in our history where there was no sworn in President of the United States. Could we afford this today?
Years ago, people worried about JFK being Roman Catholic - Would he obey the Pope before fulfilling his duties to America? History tells us that he put America first ...after sating his sexual appetite. This is why we need to know as much as possible about a presidential candidate before supporting him or her. Sometimes, a person's religion can be simply posturing (as in the case of JFK) - or one of real belief (such as with Jimmy Carter). Either way, religion is an important factor in who we choose for president....
In the end, I think this will quickly become a non issue, but not for the reasons I'd want it to happen. Instead, the Democrats and the remaining GOP Candidates will be out gunning to take down Donald Trump, and not having a serious conversation about the role of religion in politics and government.
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