There has been much discussion lately regarding the religion of a particular candidate for president.  Also, many groups are using the issues of abortion and gay marriage as litmus tests to determine if a particular candidate is, in their view, qualified to be president.

I don’t believe religion, abortion, or gay marriage really matter as long as a person is not too aggressive in imposing his or her beliefs on others.  Those particular issues are all based on a particular set of values and beliefs.  It is very difficult to discern which set of values and beliefs is “correct”, “true”, or “valid” simply because they are values and beliefs.  A good person, in my opinion, can be a Mormon, a Catholic, a Protestant, an Evangelist, a Jew, a Muslim, etc.  Likewise, a person of good character can be pro-choice or anti-abortion, or a good person can be for or against gay marriage.

 A person of good character can also either accept or reject the theory of evolution.  The difference, however, is that evolution theory has been substantiated by over 100 years of scientific knowledge and thought.  There are certainly some holes still left in the theory and if an individual ignores the bulk of the evidence and wishes to give more weight to his or her beliefs regarding evolution, I have no problem with that … unless the individual is the President of the United States.  The office of the President requires a person who can weigh the evidence and facts of each situation and make rational decisions as to the best course of action.  I don’t feel that someone who does not accept the theory of evolution fits that description.

The office of the President sometimes requires that the person who occupies it be able to make quick, rational decisions under extreme pressure.  Can somebody in that office who does not even accept the evidence in favor of evolution make good decisions in complex situations such as the Cuban missile crisis?  I would question that.

I ordinarily don’t like litmus tests to determine if a candidate is worthy of my vote for President, but when a candidate professes to reject the theory of evolution, I think that is where I will draw the line.