Faith and Government
Since when does faith become an obstacle to work in government?
Apparently today it is, at least for some people!
The Daily Caller is reporting on the grilling of Amy Barrett, a Notre Dame Law professor who has been nominated by President Trump to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for a district encompassing Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
Senator Diane Feinstein, the top Democrat on the committee, asked nominee Amy Barrett about the religious themes of her past scholarly writings and speeches.
At Ms. Barrett’s confirmation hearing Senator Feinstein asked the following question or you might not even consider it a question, it was more like a statement:
When you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you, and that’s of concern when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for years in this country.
Professor Barrett did not take the bait and responded in the following manner:
It is never appropriate for a judge to apply their personal convictions, whether it derives from faith or personal conviction.
I ask the question, when did faith become an obstacle in obtaining a high ranking government position?
Is this question asked of all people interviewing for a government job?
If it is ok to ask one person then it should be asked of everyone.
The president of the University of Notre Dame Reverend John I. Jenkins wrote a letter to Senator Feinstein asking her the following question:
It is chilling to hear from a United States Senator that this might now disqualify someone from service as a federal judge, I ask you and your colleagues to respect those in whom ‘dogma lives loudly’ — which is a condition we call faith. For the attempt to live such faith while one upholds the law should command respect, not evoke concern.
We all have some guiding force in our lives, would you not rather it be a religious one, one of peace, than any other?
One who believes that government is their overriding guiding force can also be considered a religious zealot, could they not.