I strongly disagree that a candidate’s personal beliefs (or lack thereof) should have any bearing at all on fitness for public office.

For one thing, stating any credo is easy; living up to it is hard. To best determine anyone’s character, watch what he does and how he does it.

But the primary reason is in the third paragraph of Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, which states that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”

Therefore, those who say, “I won’t vote for X because he doesn’t go to church, or it’s the wrong kind,” apparently think themselves smarter than our Founding Fathers.

I am certain they will act on their bigotry in silence — that’s what moral cowards do.

Paul C. Franke

Salt Lake

Click here to read more Letters to the Editor.