Editorial: Could/should a Christian vote for a Muslim?

Ben Carsen, Republican presidential contender, has said, “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation.” (Ben Carsen campaign photo)

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An aged, hollow echo has reverberated across the 2016 presidential landscape.

Ben Carson, a top Republican contender thanks in large measure to evangelical support, has been insisting a Muslim could not be qualified to serve the United States as president. 

knox newEditor Marv KnoxCarson, a Seventh-day Adventist, said on NBC’s Meet the Press: “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation.”

A week later, Carson defended his position on CNN’s State of the Union, insisting, “you have to reject the tenets of Islam” in order to be president. 

This line of reasoning follows the logic many Protestants—Americans rarely used the term “evangelical” back then—applied to John Kennedy when he ran for president in 1960. Protestants questioned whether a Catholic’s loyalty to the pope would overrun his responsibility to the nation. Some claimed a person could not be a good Catholic and a good president.

Two Texas events turned the tide for Kennedy. In a meeting with ministers in Houston, he pledged to uphold religious liberty and separation of church and state. And in response to an inquiry from Baptist Standard Editor E.S. James, he promised not to appoint a U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. Kennedy carried Texas, “the buckle of the Bible Belt,” and defeated Richard Nixon.

While Kennedy won the political battle, the legal issue had been settled since the founding of the nation. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution states, “…no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”

‘No religious test’ means no religious test

“No religious test” means no religious test. That applied to Kennedy, a Catholic, and it would apply to any conceivable Muslim candidate about whom Carson warns. 


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Religious liberty is a bedrock of this nation. Baptists can stand tall when we discuss religious liberty, because our forebears played a crucial role in guaranteeing freedom for people of all faiths and no faith in the United States. Baptist Roger Williams founded the first colony to guarantee religious liberty, Rhode Island. And Baptist John Leland helped secure the religion clauses in the First Amendment.

Religious liberty is a major issue in politics today, and it will be a key issue in presidential election politics throughout the coming year. Ironically, Christians who warn about the loss of “religious liberty” for people to dissent against same-sex marriage line up behind candidates who would deny adherents of other faiths the right to seek office. This is inconsistent.

So, if religion is not a qualification for office, what nonpartisan qualities should voters seek in candidates? If our president and all other office-holders would embody five traits, not only our government but also our society would be stronger. They are:

• Character.

Honesty and integrity are vital. The only way a ruler/leader can perform according to principle is by operating from a base of honesty and integrity. Even when political leaders disagree on every issue, if their character is sound, they can govern well.

• Uphold the Constitution and rule of law.

This was Kennedy’s winning argument. He affirmed he would uphold the Constitution of the United States. If a Muslim upholds the Constitution, then Sharia—Islamic—law will not prevail. If a Christian upholds the rule of law, then she or he will abide by duly developed legislative and judicial laws and policies.

• Respect the two-party system.

The most important word in this virtue is “respect.” Just as America needs the restraint built into our governmental system by the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches, we also need the restraint of a system that functions with at least two strong parties. It protects us from the corruption and tyranny of unbridled power.

• Appreciation for the common good.

The reason our American political system is broken is because the people in whom we have entrusted power no longer work for the common good. They work for the good of their party and for the purpose of retaining and increasing power. So, they cannot compromise. They cannot work for the interests of all citizens. We’ve lost the common good, and that’s bad.

• Maintain perspective.

This is a corollary to appreciation for the common good, but it’s more personal. Our political system currently rewards ego and retribution. We need to elect leaders who are humble and compassionate. That sounds risky, because humble, compassionate people seem to get trampled by our own system, much less global adversaries. And that’s where faith enters the voting booth.


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