We the People of Faith -By Howard Fineman
You wouldn't think religion would matter much in this presidential election. There would seem to be so many more pressing issues: oppressive gasoline and food prices; a president widely regarded as a failure; a foreign policy that has us adrift in the world and mired in an unpopular war. Why would faith be an issue?
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Strong words, of course, but hardly unprecedented in our history. Whatever Thomas Jefferson's beliefs, they weren't traditional enough to satisfy his Federalist critics. In the tumultuous election of 1800, he was branded an atheist or worse, and one Federalist newspaper asked the question: Did its readers want "GOD--AND A RELIGIOUS PRESIDENT; OR JEFFERSON--AND NO GOD!!"
We got Jefferson, and we still have God.
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