Compassionate Curmudgeon

I Agree With Atrios!

Atrios has a post about candidates making an issue of their religion:

Therefore it is both fair and responsible to ask these candidates about their precise religious views. I don't mean vague bland nods to "Christian faith" or simply "faith" but actual details on doctrine and practice.

If people want to make religion a central part of political campaigns, I say great! Bring it on! It'll be nice to actually find out just what the hell they're talking about finally.

What would be reasonable questions to ask these candidates?

Off the top of my head:

• According to your faith and your reading of the Bible, which of the following is the most important issue: abortion, homosexuality, or helping the poor? Please cite references for that belief.
• Do you believe that anyone who does not believe in Jesus will be condemned to everlasting torment in hell? If the answer is yes, does that mean that you believe all Jews such as, for example, Joe Lieberman will end up in hell?
• Do you interpret the creation and other stories in Genesis literally or as mythic explanations? How old do you believe the earth is?

That should be enough to get started. This could be fun!

Posted by jt at March 8, 2007 05:08 PM