As the presidential candidates battle for position over the coming year, they will be free to express their views on a wide range of issues; their opinions on medical care, bank regulation, environmental laws, unions, gay rights and a host of other topics will be considered by the public and, for the most part, respected. But when it comes to their religious faith, there is only one choice that is acceptable to most Americans and the candidates aim to please.
Despite the fact that, throughout human history, Christian factions have attempted to derail science and have been associated with a wide range of atrocities, from the Inquisition to child abuse, professing one's Christian faith is essential to attaining the highest office in America. Though Kennedy broke the Catholic barrier in 1960 and Obama erased the color line in 2008, Romney's Mormon roots are clearly compromising his position within the Republican field. Meanwhile, all candidates are falling over one another to declare their commitment to Christian values.
Most Americans despise Communist dictatorships and Muslim Theocracies in which personal freedoms are limited by the beliefs and philosophy of a small but powerful group of individuals. But, while we extole the freedoms of American society and claim to support the separation of Church and State, we are not free from the tyranny of organized religion. If one is not openly Christian or, worse yet, openly religious, the American presidency is but a pipe dream.
