The White House Isn't (Nor Should It Be) a Pulpit

Here's a hot topic that's been kicked around a lot lately: Barack Obama, Muslim-In-Christian's-Clothing or Real Christian?

This got me to thinking about Mitt Romney. His religion isn't exacly the usual brand of Christianity, but people didn't really criticize. Why not? Is it because people were relatively sure he didn't have a chance, or has the new face of Mormonism that successfully buried polygamy in the past and/or closet? Even when Lieberman was running there were brief whispers of his being Jewish as though that weren't quite kosher enough for our White House (no pun intended).

That got me thinking about Mike Huckabee. He's the usual brand of Christianity, and people find this not only palatable but desirable. The current Bush, too. I've gotten into discussions with Bushies about his performance as our president, and no matter what kind of shady shit he's been involved with, i always get this gem thrown back at me as though it were some kind of trump card: "At least he's a Christian and he's following his beliefs".

Which got me to thinking about what i really wanted to talk about: Is a very religious president really such a good idea? Now, i'm not saying a president HAVING religion is a bad idea, i just happen to believe that religion is a matter of personal business. I know that this is a predominantly Christian country, but there are a lot of non-Christian Americans living alongside us who deserve equal consideration when policy is being made. I wonder how effectively a zealous president (of any faith) is capable of representing the country as a whole, and not just His/Her Kind of People. I guess i'm trying to say that i'd like to see a hopeful president be as moderate about religion as he is about everything else. Like most Americans, i'm fairly moderate, and extremes in either direction bother me.

At the end of the day, I don't believe that a person's religious affiliation is a good enough character witness. I'd like to see a potential president judged by his/her acts and what policies s/he's supported in the past rather than how religious s/he is. The White House shouldn't double as a pulpit, and the presidency shouldn't be used to levy one person's beliefs on the population.