From the Archives…

As usual:

America's civic culture has always taken religion seriously, and candidates from outside the religious mainstream will naturally draw extra scrutiny.

Nevertheless, election campaigns are for choosing political leaders, not popes. A candidate's public record has far more to say about his fitness for office than his private devotions do. All the presidential hopefuls, Romney included, have made their mark in the worlds of politics, business, the military, or the law. Each has a history. That, not what they believe about Jesus or Joseph Smith, is what voters should care about most.

The Framers of the Constitution banned religious tests for political positions, and for good reason: What a candidate believes about the hereafter is not nearly as important as how he lives his life in the here and now.