The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Religion matters in presidential politics, but rarely has it mattered so much as it does in the 2008 campaign. Officially, of course, there is no religious test for the man (or woman) who will become the next leader of the Free World. Unofficially, however, voters administer their own religious tests. Mitt Romney tried to avoid Òthe speechÓ Ñ but he was finally compelled to address the Mormon question earlier this year. Although generally well-received by many conservatives, RomneyÕs speech didnÕt appear to budge the significant portion of the electorate who tell pollsters they wonÕt vote for a Mormon. More recently, it was Barack ObamaÕs turn in the religion hot seat after sound bites from his longtime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, began circulating. It remains to be seen whether or not Obama succeeds in his attempt to confront the volatile topics of race and religion while at the same time distancing himself from WrightÕs inflammatory rhetoric. And John McCain has had to distance himself from the anti-Catholic views of Texas televangelist John Hagee after initially embracing HageeÕs endorsement. McCain has also come under fire for his association with the Rev. Rod Parsley, an influential pastor who calls for a Christian war to destroy the Òfalse religionÓ of Islam. Religious affiliation should not determine a personÕs qualifications for public office. But having said that, the public has every right to inquire about the religious or philosophical views of candidates. After all, voters want to know the sources of values and convictions that would shape a presidentÕs decisions. The challenge Ñ especially for the media Ñ is to get beyond stereotypes about Mormons, evangelicals, Muslims or African-American preachers and provide the context for a fair, informed understanding of the role of faith in a candidateÕs life. Consider the current flap over Jeremiah Wright. Will the debate get stuck in the loop of those incendiary sound bites played endlessly on YouTube? Or will the media and the voters have the patience to put WrightÕs sermons in context by learning some of the history and experience behind the words? Unofficial religious tests are unlikely to disappear from the political arena. But letÕs hope that such tests donÕt determine the outcome of the presidential race.
