Does One Need To Be a Christian To Be President?

According to this article in the Baptist Press, Mormons don't qualify to be President when there are Christians in the race. However, the article states not one qualification but two [I realize there are three].

He added, "I believe that in Rick Perry we have a candidate who is a proven leader, a true conservative and a committed follower of Christ."

So to be elected to the High Office of the USA, one must be a true conservative and Christian. So I have to ask, which one of these qualifications is more important, "Being a true conservative" or a "committed follower of Jesus"? Somehow I doubt believing in Jesus has anything to do with this test. Otherwise, perhaps Obama is more qualified than Romney? Remember, President Obama claims to be a born-again Christian.

Right now, I'd vote for a true blue Jeffersonian Libertarian, even if he was an atheist before I'd waste another vote on a Republican like Romney or Perry. The pastor goes on to say,

"... Part of a pastor's job is to warn his people and others about false religions. Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Mormonism are all false religions. And I stand by those statements," he said to applause

Now I agree a person's religious views may greatly impact how one governs. If one is an atheist, that person may have great difficulty in standing for the Prolife position, but perhaps not and should be judged on an individual basis. So an atheist or a Hindu may be far more Prolife than say a professed Christian such as President Obama.


But this all seems to me to lead back to the culture wars. And after fighting in a never-ending war for nearly 24 years, it seems to me that attempting to solve our cultural issues through the power of government is wrong-headed. I think Conservatives need to start re-thinking what Liberty is and the proper role of govenrment.

In other words, what do we want government to do? Do we really want to go back to the days of Prohibition on every issue? For instance, do we really want government to be involved in the homosexual debate? Would not a restoration of Private Property Rights go a long way in solving some of these things?

As my brother asked a conservative friend, if we make homosexuality illegal by the power of government, how far should government go? Do we enter gay homes with guns firing? You may say that is extreme and would never happen, but it happens now. Read this story about how our government fights the drug war. If the government can storm into house and kill you now for smoking pot, why not come into your house and kill you for anything else we give it power to do?

I have to ask a simple question, "Who is the candidate that Thomas Jefferson would vote for?"