The Malta Independent on Sunday
Faith and the presidency
From Nomination to Election – a series of articles leading to the election of a new President of the United States of America
Perhaps the secular nature of the Republic is one of the foremost distinctions of the American political system. The United States has been, for more than two centuries, a model of the separation between church and state. But while this has been an uninterruptable practice, it has not come without its fair amount of challenges and controversies. The oath to ‘preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States’ is also a solemn declaration to keep the legacy of religious freedom without any imposition or intrusion in public life. Faith, in the Jeffersonian tradition, is to remain strictly a private matter. However this has not always been the case.
Faith is invariably a divisive issue. To believers, it is comforting to see their leaders pronouncing religious sentiments. To sceptics, the idea that the Commander-in-Chief relies on ideas inspired by faith, may be disconcerting. In the words of Gary Scott Smith, “policy making should be based on objective, scientific, pragmatic, prudential, ‘neutral’ factors, not presuppositions or values”.
Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) a Presbyterian with profound religious convictions, tried incessantly to seek peace between nations, since individuals and nations were both accountable to God. At a younger age he had written that “all statesmen should trust Christ and follow scriptural standards”. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945), Episcopalian, invoked God’s blessing, used biblical images and referred to religious ideals in all four of his inaugural addresses. Dwight D. Eisenhower (19521960) believed that “America’s greatness had depended on its acknowledgement of God” and that the USA had a “pivotal role to play in God’s plan for civilization”. Ronald Reagan (19811989) believed that God intended America to be “a city on the hill”. To him, religion was a guide, often referred to in his speeches that inspired a generation. When in 2000, then Presidential candidate George W. Bush was asked who his favourite philosopher was, he did not hesitate – “Jesus Christ”. According to Newsweek, few Presidents “invoked faith more openly than, or as often as Bush”. Rumsfeld later said that Bush would start every Cabinet meeting with a prayer.
So help me God
While Article Six of the Constitution provides that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States”, both candidates and sitting Presidents have often professed the importance of their faith and how it guides their decision-making. When the oath of office is administered, the addendum “So help me God” is always made – a phrase first recorded to have been made by Abraham Lincoln in his second inauguration of 1865, and then continued as tradition.
To date, no atheist or agnostic has made it to the Presidency. The speech given by John F. Kennedy a few weeks before the election of 1960 is emblematic for two reasons. As the first Catholic candidate for the Presidency, Kennedy stated that “the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote”. However, should a conflict occur, Kennedy’s choice was clear: “But if the time should ever come … when my office would require me to either violate my conscience or violate the national interest, then I would resign the office; and I hope any conscientious public servant would do the same.” It is unlikely that either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will use religion in their campaign, but they both know that pandering to the religious population will be crucial to clinch the Presidency in November.