By Rudy Barnes, Jr.
Article
VI of the Constitution states that “no religious test shall ever be required as
a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” At a recent confirmation hearing Senator Bernie
Sanders questioned a statement by Russell Voight, nominee for deputy director
of the Office of Management and Budget.
Voight said that “Muslims…do not know God because they have rejected
Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned.”
Senator
Sanders condemned Voight’s statement as Islamophobic. Ironically, such religious exclusivity is typical
of fundamentalist Muslims as well as Christians. Fundamentalists of both religions believe
that theirs alone is the one true faith and that God condemns all others to
eternal damnation. In a religiously
pluralistic culture like the U.S., religious fundamentalists holding such exclusivist
beliefs are unsuited for public office.
In
a politics polarized by competing religious and political beliefs, providing
equal justice under law is impossible if public officials of one religion believe
that God has condemned all others to eternal damnation. Most Americans claim to be Christians, but it
is unknown how many are fundamentalists.
Perhaps there should be a political
test for public officials to ensure that they do not believe that anyone is
condemned because of their religious beliefs—or unbelief.
It
is axiomatic that public officials must avoid unlawful discrimination to
provide equal justice under law, and that religious exclusivity is likely to
produce such discrimination. While a
person’s religious belief should not be a test to qualify for political office,
any belief likely to cause unlawful discrimination should be a relevant
political consideration in considering whether a person should hold public
office.
Religion
has moral and mystical components.
Thomas Jefferson considered the moral teachings of Jesus “the sublimest morality ever taught” and relevant to our politics. But Jefferson considered the mystical and exclusivist doctrines promoted by the church as irrelevant and inappropriate to
our politics. Religious exclusivity
crosses the line. It is a mystical
matter of faith that has moral implications that are relevant to our politics.
The greatest commandment to love God and
to love our neighbors as we love ourselves—including those of other races and
religions—combines the mystical and moral.
It is a common word of faith
for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike; and if those believers were to give
that common word of faith precedence
over exclusivist religious beliefs, there could be a universal politics of
reconciliation that could lead to lasting peace with justice—but not until then.
Notes
and Related Commentary:
On Bernie
Sanders’ religious test for Christians in public office, see https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/06/bernie-sanders-chris-van-hollen-russell-vought/529614/.
Thomas Jefferson wrote Henry Fry on June 17, 1804:
"I consider the doctrines of Jesus as delivered by himself to contain the
outlines of the sublimest morality that has ever been taught; but I hold in the
utmost profound detestation and execration the corruptions of it which have been
invested by priestcraft and kingcraft, constituting a conspiracy of church and
state against the civil and religious liberties of man." Thomas Jefferson, The Jefferson Bible,
edited by O. I. A. Roche, Clarkson H. Potter, Inc., New York, 1964, at p 378;
see also Jefferson’s letter to John Adams dated October 13, 1813, at pp 825,
826; Jefferson's commentaries are at pp 325-379. See also, Introduction to The Teachings of
Jesus and Muhammad on Morality and Law: The Heart of Legitimacy, at page
10, note 2, posted at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3gvZV8mXUp-aTJubVlISnpQc1U/view.
On the
Greatest Commandment as a common word of faith, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/01/the-greatest-commandment-common-word-of.html.
On whether there
is a common word of faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims today? see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/01/jesus-meets-muhammad-is-there-common.html.
On religion as
good or evil, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/02/is-religion-good-or-evil.html.
On a
fundamental problem with religion, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/05/a-fundamental-problem-with-religion.html.
On Christians meet
Muslims today, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/06/christians-meet-muslims-today.html.
On religious fundamentalism and a politics of reconciliation, see
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