Bill Keller of the New York Times announced that the Times is planning to ask GOP candidates for president specific questions on how their religion or religious beliefs would affect their actions as president. (Read) I think this is a good idea, particularly for Mitt Romney, who has often looked like a deer in the headlights when asked questions about certain doctrines of the LDS Church.

I just finished reading, for the second time, a yet to be published biography of early Mormon leader Parley P. Pratt, and I amazed at how conventional my church has become 180 years later. The questions that Mitt dodges would have been eagerly answered by Mr. Pratt.

Do you agree with aOlernKienOP Air Jordan 13 Retro That Was A Darn Cold Race those religious leaders who say that America is a “Christian nation” or a “Judeo Christian nation?” and what does that mean in practice?

Would you have any hesitation about appointing a Muslim to the federal bench? What about aOlernKienOP air jordan 2 retro concord white concord black Willow Run boys pull away fr an atheist?

What is your attitude toward the theory of evolution, and do you believe it should be taught in public schools?

More questions from the Times can be found here. Specific questions for Romney and Jon Huntsman are as follows:

1. Was aOlernKienOP air jordan 3 true blue 2001 Snow Notes March 1 air jordan 13 infrared black infrared 23 black your religion a factor in your decision to oppose gay marriage and civil unions?

4. Do you believe that your upbringing in the Mormon faith provided you with some qualities that enhance your abilities as a political leader?

1. Though you were reared Mormon, you have described yourself as “not overly religious.” I can aOlernKienOP air jordan 3 iii retro silver sport red light graphite orange peel 5 Tips F imagine that is doubly unhelpful in winning the votes of evangelical Christians who figure so heavily in the Republican primary season: on the one hand, many of them have been taught that the Mormon church is a “cult”; on the other, many of them are looking for a candidate they regard as godly. How do you persuade conservative evangelicals to vote for you?

2. If not religion, what do you use as your guide in deciding what is right and what is wrong?

There are also tough questions for candidates Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, which include inquiries into their associations with some bigoted preachers and Bachmann endorsement of a biography of Robert E. aOlernKienOP air jordan 4 iv retro cool grey chrome dark charcoal varsity maize MISSION Lee by a sympathizer of the slave holding South air jordan force 5 white orange blue in the Civil War.

Will the NYT take this opportunity to ask Obama more penetrating questions involving his participation in Reverend(?) Wright church, or why after years of attending that church, he suddenly air jordan 3 iii retro white fire red cement grey refrains from regularly attending any church?

Didn think so that I think that those questons are particularly important, but this sudden interest on the part of the NYT does demonstrate media hypocricy, and the distinct double standard that exists with respect to conservative candidates and liberal candidates.

Well, there is another point to keep in mind. President Obama has been in office for three years, or close to that now. He has a record. If no one can produce any evidence that he bent public police air jordan xx3 black red stealth to suit the extreme religious positions of his former minister, air jordan 5 v retro fire red white fire red black then the question with respect to Rev. Wright rantings seems to me largely moot. Just as the Catholic question was largely moot after President Kennedy had been in office for some years, and had not provided federal funds to Catholic Parochial schools and had not run American foreign policy decisions past air jordan 6s carmine 2014 in stock buy now the Pope for his approval.

I don aOlernKienOP air jordan 4 oreo black black cool grey 5 Hot Tips to Use Social Networking think the questions you list above Doug the Times wants to ask all the candidates aOlernKienOP Air Jordan 5s eBay Guide to Buying Allen Edmonds shoes for under are much of a problem. But I absolutely do not like the Times crafting candidate and religion specific questions for various candidates.

The Founders included in the Constitution a provision establishing that there should be no religious aOlernKienOP air jordan 1 retro high strap black red No Greater Love Hath Any Man test for holding federal office. I think they were wise to do that. If a candidate wants to make air jordan 2010 white black red a statement about his faith and how it would affect his Presidency if he [or she] won, they are free to do so. But that sort of thing should come from the candidates, and be their decision. They should not have to undergo a general press inquisition on their various faiths unless they themselves have made statements about faith based policy positions they defending.

The extent to which religion which mostly involves the Religious Right demanding Christian [as they define it and only as they define it] belief as a necessary condition for election to office is a scary thing and is not serving the Republic of Washington and Jefferson and Air Jordan DMP Madison and Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt and FDR and Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan well.

As indicated, had you been paying attention (which you haven of course), I don give a damn about church attendance, but if the NYT is suddenly going to start asking religious questions of Romney or Huntsman, they should have been equally diligent air jordan 18 black sport royal with Obama/Rev Wright, but they were not. Border Agent. All sorts of questions spring to mind over that, including why hasn Eric Holder, Attorney General of the United States, been fired for this. If he new about it, he should not only be fired, but also brought up on charges. If he didn know about it, he should be fired for incompetance.

Where do you hear aOlernKienOP air jordan 12 xii original og March 2011 archive these stories Owain?

Were you demanding Cheney be prosecuted for outing a CIA agent? Or manufacturing and lying about the reasons for the crusade in Iraq? Yeah, I thought not.

I sure you were all for the persecution and resignation of then defense secretary Les Aspin in 1993, for the Rangers not having adequate armor in Somalia. But soldiers that questioned Rumsfeld about the same problem in Iraq are, in Rush Limbaugh words soldiers. Anthony Weiner is a terrible person that should resign, but Tom Foley was simply a victim of on by precocious kids. according to aOlernKienOP air jordan xx3 black carolina white How To Make Ugg Sheepskin Boots Chris Cannon.

do you hear these stories Owain? news. Why, haven you been keeping up with current events? Here a link:What CIA agent did Cheney out? Valerie Plame? air jordan retro 4 fur chicago bulls red white black According to Wikipedia July 14, 2003, Washington Post journalist Robert Novak, from information obtained from Richard Armitage at the US State Department, effectively ended Valerie Plame career with the CIA (from which she later resigned in December 2005) by revealing in his column her identity as a CIA operative.