The Religious Test Why We Must Question the Beliefs of Our Leaders [Paperback]

The Constitution states that no religious test may keep a candidate from aspiring to political office. Yet, since John F. Kennedy used the phrase to deflect concerns about his Catholicism, the public has largely avoided probing candidates religious beliefs. Is it true, however, that a candidates religious convictions should be off-limits to public scrutiny?Our saints will not be statesmen and our statesmen will not be saints. In this lapidary sentence Damon Linker concludes his literate and stirring defense of pluralism as a prerequisite of decent politics. His deeply thoughtful alternative to both know-nothing and know-everything politics will instruct readers who remain open to persuasionwhatever their persuasion.God made all men equal. But men make religions, and they areA sensitive, thoughtful, and important new vision of the place of belief in an open and tolerant public square. Would that Linkers Religious Test catches on!A manifesto seeking to exhort both believers and atheists to behave better in the public sphere.