NBC's Chuck Todd asked Dr. Carson if the faith of a candidate for president of the United States matters.
Carson responded that it depends on what that faith is. "If it's inconsistent with the values and principles of America, then of course it should matter," said Dr. Carson.
Todd then asked Dr. Carson if he thinks that Islam is consistent with American values and Carson responded, "No, I do not." He then expanded to say, "I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation."
Now the whole world is on Ben Carson. How dare you!
Dr. Ben Carson is a very smart man. During his career as one of the world's leading pediatric neurosurgeons, he found the time to write a good number of books, three of which are about the United States of America.
He understands our Constitution very well, and he knows that it protects the freedom to practice one's religion and allows for a person of any faith to run for political office.
What he did say, and with which I totally agree, is that it is not advisable that Americans elect someone, particularly for our highest office, who does not share our values.
I love our country and respect our Constitution. However, I do not believe we should elect someone who believes it is acceptable to destroy life in the womb. Do I believe such an individual should be free to run for office and for Americans to vote for that individual? Of course. If we are foolish enough to elect such an individual, we get what we deserve.
What about Islam?
We don't need a theological discussion about the Quran to appreciate that Dr. Carson's views, as he expressed them to Chuck Todd, make all the sense in the world.
When Dr. Carson talks about American principles and values, what is he talking about? Most Americans would agree that the fundamental American value is freedom.
Is Islam consistent with the American value of freedom?
Let's just look at how Muslims run their own affairs in their own countries.
According to the Pew Research Center, there are 31 nations in the world with Muslim populations of 90 percent or more.
Freedom House in Washington, D.C., rates nations around the world according to freedom. They rate according to civil liberties and political rights. Nations are broken down into three categories: free, partly free, and not free.
Of the 31 nations that are more than 90 percent Muslim, how many are rated free? Two. It seems pretty clear that freedom fares not so well in the Muslim world.
How about the Constitution?
The Constitution is not a value-free operating manual. The reason the founders created it was to preserve American values. They were quite clear about this in the preamble to the Constitution.
The preamble says: "We the people" establish the Constitution to "secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity."
I spend much of my time reading the Bible so I can be a good Christian. I don't feel it is my responsibility to read the Quran and get into the business of trying to understand what Muslims believe. My measuring stick can only be how Muslims behave. And the evidence is overwhelming that Islam does not produce behavior consistent with the American value of freedom, the core value our constitution exists to preserve.
It is perfectly constitutional to elect someone with values that will destroy America. It's just not a very good idea to do it.
When Ben Carson says he "would not advocate putting a Muslim in charge of this nation," only someone who does not care about the future of this nation would question the power of his logic.
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