A Godless Constitution

Good article today at Townhall by Carol Platt Liebau, on Katherine Harris's remarks from a couple of weeks back.

That’s why recent remarks by Rep. Katherine Harris, a Republican candidate for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat, were so remarkably offensive. Playing into every stereotype that the left has purveyed about religious conservatives, Harris insisted that America was not intended to be a “nation of secular laws,” called separation of church and state a “lie we have been told” and asserted that, “If you're not electing Christians, then in essence you are going to legislate sin.”

Rep. Harris’ statements run counter to the text and plain meaning of Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, which holds that “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” By insisting that “sin” will be the essential byproduct of the work of non-Christian legislators, Harris falls into the worst kind of religious bigotry – and conveniently overlooks the unorthodox positions on social issues assumed by Christians like Teddy Kennedy and Mario Cuomo.

It is a bit unfortunate that Ms. Liebau chooses to portray Ms. Harris has a rhetorical lone gunman. Unfortunately that is not accurate. The dominionist movement would agree with everything Ms. Harris said, and, like her, seek an America where non-Christians do not hold public office.

But, rather than dwelling on the negative, let's give Ms. Liebau credit for dealing with Ms. Harris honestly, something many of her fellow Republicans have failed to do.