Could an Atheist Be Elected President? A Look “Down Under”

Last month Julia Gillard was elected prime minister of Australia. Gillard is Australia’s first female and first unmarried prime minister. Even more remarkably, she won Australia’s highest office after openly declaring that she is an atheist.It is extremely unlikely an avowed atheist could be elected president of the United States. Substantial percentages of Americans...

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50-Years Ago Today: John F. Kennedy’s Historic Speech on Religion and Politics

Kennedy’s election was a milestone in American political history. Although numerous Americans voted against him primarily because he was Catholic, his victory opened the door for other Catholic (and Jewish) candidates to run for the nation’s highest offices.

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John Hancock: A Neglected American Hero

As we celebrate the Fourth of July this year, our attention will once again turn to such luminaries as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Samuel Adams. However, another founder who made substantial contributions to American independence, John Hancock, is typically overlooked and underappreciated. Although he served as the first president...

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A Plea to the President to Attend Church

Dear Mr. President, Remember all the analysis immediately after your election this past November regarding where you and your family would attend church? Newspapers and websites were filled with stories about where you would go, and numerous congregations in Washington invited you, your wife, and children to attend their Sunday morning services. Although Americans...

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Barack Obama and Religion

Americans have long been fascinated with and sometimes disturbed by the faith of their presidents, and Barack Obama’s faith is no exception. U.S. News and World Report recently claimed that “Obama has embraced faith in a more visible way” than any other recent president, a remarkable statement given his predecessor. This issue also featured...

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Barack Obama and the Church

The question of where Barack Obama and his family will go to church after he takes office is attracting a lot of media attention. As the author of “Faith and the Presidency: From George Washington to George W. Bush,” I was recently interviewed by the Washington Post and the Times of London to help...

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