Today’s truth is something I have written and preached about before, but I feel it needs repeating from time to time: a president of the United States does not have to be a person of faith. This isn’t my opinion. This is the only thing about religion that is mentioned in the original Constitution – Article VI, Clause 3 – no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States. The 1st Amendment then granted freedom of religion to any person living in America. You would think the discussion would end there, but it never does. Thomas Jefferson later wrote about the “wall of separation” between the government and religious institutions. The point is that the government is not allowed to control or favor any religion, and religion is free to speak truth to power. Unless it breaks the law – then there is no immunity from prosecution, because nobody is above the law.
Presidents have used religion to get elected, either by choice or duress. Eisenhower got baptized and joined a church before he ran for president. Nixon – the second most immoral person to hold this office – started Bible Studies and invited Billy Graham in to give him counsel. Some of our presidents – Ford and Carter, for example – were devout Christians who lived their faith but didn’t force it on others. Clinton, Obama, and both Bushes were devout in their own ways, as is Biden. Trump is – well, we all know his deal. I want a president to have good enough character and intelligence to do the right thing for all of us, but I don’t expect them to do what I want all the time. For example, if it were up to me, I would slash the defense budget in half. We would still have enough firepower to protect ourselves, other democracies, and still blow the world up 6 times over (don’t quote me on that number – it’s hyperbole).
The truth, according to the Constitution, is that religion is a non-factor in one’s ability to govern. In fact, the more a leader courts and talks about religion, the less likely they are to be a person of faith, in my experience. The aforementioned Mr. Trump and the tyrant Putin and the Ayatollahs are prime examples of how religion and political leadership combined are poison. Hitler too, by the way. And the more you tell me you are a believer, the less likely I am to believe you are. Governor Abbott of Texas, for example, claims to be a very religious Christian. He also is attacking non-binary teachers and trying to kill immigrants who are crossing the border. Not very Jesus-y things to do, according to the Bible.
So please, keep your religion to yourself and practice it in your personal way. Use your belief in God to make the world better for everyone, not just your lunatic fringe base. Jesus didn’t just care for people who were Jewish; He cared for people of all kinds of nationalities and religions. This is what real faith is. If you don’t do that, your faith is phony, no matter how much you try to convince us otherwise. At least, those of us who are using our brains can tell the difference.
Prayer – God, save us from fake religion and phony piety. Give us clarity so we can use our love of You to care for Your children. Amen.
Today’s art is “Compassion” by Laly Mille.