CREEDE HINSHAW: Candidates have varied religious backgrounds

Most laypersons don’t discuss the finer points of theology much in the same way that most of us are ill-equipped to discuss in detail the law, medicine, astronomy or poetry.

Most people try to love God and, if they are Christian, follow Jesus as best as they can. They believe in heaven and hope to get there. They believe in goodness and maybe in attending church or synagogue or mosque.

But somehow we think that presidential candidates should be far more conversant in every field, including expressing their faith deeply and meaningfully. In that sense Americans have seen an interesting variety of religiosity in the Oval Office.

In my own lifetime Dwight Eisenhower was baptized in the White House and recommended that Americans should express faith in a faith of their own choosing. We’ve had Ronald Reagan, a man who resonated deeply with religious people but rarely attended church and put great stock in astrology. We’ve had Richard Nixon whose White House tapes revealed epithets and prejudices that would horrify those in his Quaker background. We’ve had Bill Clinton who quoted and was more conversant in the Bible than most other presidents yet was tripped up by sexual escapades condemned by his – and all denominations. Same could be said of Roman Catholic John F. Kennedy, the difference being that in the sixties a tacit agreement between press and president kept these things out of the news.

Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were more openly religious than many other recent presidents while President Obama, distancing himself from his former outspoken Chicago pastor, rarely attends church and is constantly accused of being a Muslim (as if this would be treasonous).

These comments are prelude to the 2016 presidential election, a field already crowded with candidates of various religious backgrounds. Few candidates will be as conversant in the Bible as seminary trained Mike Huckaby (R), an ordained Southern Baptist pastor. Gov. Huckaby will be joined by a very diverse field of religious aspirants, including a United Methodist (Hillary Clinton-D), three Catholics (Republicans Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, and Marco Rubio), a non-practicing Jew (Bernie Sanders (I), a lapsed Episcopalian (Carly Fiorina-R), a nondenominational evangelical (Scott Walker-R) and a Seven Day Adventist (Ben Carson-R) who was recently disinvited by Southern Baptists to speak at their convention. It should be an interesting election cycle, especially if faith matters take precedence.

Perhaps Marco Rubio represents the faith journey of many Americans. He is a person who has been comfortable changing religions over the years and even now attends more than one church. Rubio was raised a Mormon, converted to Christianity into the Baptist church and is now a devout Catholic who often attends both mass and his former Baptist church both on the same weekend. Would that more of our leaders would cross political lines in working together for the good of our nation.