Written by Don Byrd
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
In a statement released today, the Baptist Joint Committee and 13 other religious organizations representing many faith traditions, urged presidential candidates to be ethical in the use of religion in their campaigns. The Baptist, Methodist, UCC, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu and Islamic religions may have many different perspectives and viewpoints obviously, but many of their adherents are united in this one belief: campaigns should exercise restraint and judgment in using matters of faith.
Candidates for public office are, of course, free to worship as they choose. And they should feel comfortable explaining their religious convictions to voters, commenting about their own religious beliefs, explaining, if they wish to do so, how those beliefs shape their policy perspectives, and how they would balance the principles of their faith with their obligation to defend the Constitution if the two ever came into conflict.
There is a point, however, where an emphasis on religion in a political campaign becomes inappropriate and even unsettling in a religiously diverse society such as ours. Appealing to voters along religious lines is divisive. It is contrary to the American ideal of including all Americans in the political process, regardless of whether they are members of large and powerful religious groups, religious minorities, or subscribe to no faith tradition.
Voters should be encouraged to make their decisions based upon their assessment of the qualifications, integrity, and political positions of candidates. A candidate’s religious beliefs – or lack thereof – should never be used by voters, nor suggested by political candidates, as a test for public office or as a shorthand summary of a candidate’s qualifications.
Candidates for office bear the primary responsibility for setting the proper tone for elections. Anyone who legitimately aspires to public office must be prepared to set an example and to be a leader for all Americans, of all faiths or of no faith.
Read the whole thing.
