Political Weathervane

   Donald Trump is a weathervane, pointing to the political winds with the most bluster. The stronger the bluster, the higher he soars.
   But the scary part of the showmanship is that millions support his notions, even when he goes to the extreme of calling Pope Francis a "disgrace" and a pawn of the Mexican government.
   For those who believe in some of the basic tenets of Christianity, such as the duty to love and help neighbors, the Trumpster does not, as the Pope pointed out, have a very Christian attitude.
  Instead, the candidate who hopes to become President of the United States revels in heaping abuse, insult and vilification on any who dare to disagree with him on anything, ever. And this attitude includes even Pope Francis, spiritual leading of many millions of people around the world.
   While it may be true that a spiritual leader should not criticize another person's faith, as Trump insisted in his response to the Pope's remarks, this is also true for political leaders.
   Perhaps religious leaders should refrain from getting involved in political affairs. This has been standard practice for Roman Catholic clergy for many decades. However, the political-religious divide, the separation of church and state, has not stopped many Protestant clergy from getting actively involved in politics, even to the extent of campaigning for and holding elective office.
   For Trump to cast stones at the Pope for commenting on the candidate's attitudes on immigration belies Trump's own remarks over competitor Ben Carson's faith, claiming that "he doesn't even know what it means" to be a Seventh Day Adventist.
   The Constitution specifies that "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the United States." And this includes the presidency. The historical background to this is that at the time the Constitution was written, candidates for Parliament and other political offices in England, as well as those who wanted to attend major colleges and universities there, had to be Anglicans, members of the Established Church of England.
   Not too long ago, every member of the United States Supreme Court -- all nine -- were white male Protestants. Now, there are none.
   One of the major reasons many Protestants and Catholics came to America was to have the freedom to practice their own faith in their own way, and not be forced to join some other religious organization in order to rise, educationally or politically.
   
  Soon after American independence from England and the adoption of the Constitution, the First Amendment was attached, guaranteeing freedom of religion. Or freedom from religion.
   Many of the founders subscribed to Deism, which is at root a belief in a Creator, but not that this Deity intervenes in human affairs.
   Yet many of the current candidates regularly speak at length about their religious convictions, hoping this will impress voters enough to favor them.
   In fact, it is not only unconstitutional, but also morally wrong to demand that a political leader in America hold a specified set of religious beliefs. At the same time, a political leader -- just as any citizen -- has a right to hold no religious belief at all.