Atheists are the only people who appear to have been offended by Mitt
Romney's speech about his Mormon faith. Judging by the reaction contained in
some newspaper columns, editorials and letters to the editor, atheists are
said to have felt "excluded" by Romney's failure to acknowledge that
tolerance of the anti-religious is part of America's tradition.
Most everyone else thought it a good speech and that Romney had the correct
view of the proper roles of church and state while refusing to compromise
his personal convictions.
What no one mentioned (so I will) is the curious practice by a substantial
number of voters who require our presidential candidates to acknowledge
faith in God. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution prohibits a "religious
test" for office, but that hasn't stopped many, especially in Iowa, from
requiring statements of evangelical faith before deciding for whom to vote.
Does one expect to know the spiritual bona fides of an individual, other
than pastor or religious worker, for any other job?
In the 1970s, a curiosity called the "Christian Yellow Pages" made the
rounds of churches and certain businesses run by evangelicals. It contained
names of professions one finds in the regular Yellow Pages - plumbers, taxi
drivers, auto mechanics, dry cleaners - except these were owned and operated
by certified, God-fearing, Bible-believing Christians. The clear implication
was that businesses found in the Christian Yellow Pages would do a better
job at a better price than the presumed "heathen" who advertised in the
bigger yellow book.
I never saw any data that proved a connection between faith in Jesus and the
ability to repair a car at a reasonable cost, so I usually went with the
shop that did the best job at the lowest price and didn't bother to ask if
the repairman went to church.
Voters who require statements of faith from presidential candidates risk
disappointment. Many evangelicals who voted for Jimmy Carter regretted
having done so when they saw his post-election policies and what they
regarded as his incompetence as president. Bill Clinton could quote
Scripture, but not many would hold him up as an evangelical icon, given his
roving eye and impeachment for lying under oath.