Gimme That Old Time Religion

In South Carolina it's hard to see which candidate for governor has a potentially bigger problem with religion among voters, converted Sikh and now Episcopalian Nikki Haley, or proud Catholic Vincent Sheheen.

Still, some voters were confused by Haley’s campaign Web site, thinking she may be both Sikh and Methodist and were unclear which “Almighty God” Haley was referencing on the site. (Sikhs, like Christians, believe in one omnipotent God, but not the same God.)

Haley’s campaign changed her Web site two months ago to read, “My faith in Christ has a profound impact on my daily life and I look to Him for guidance with every decision I make. ... Being a Christian is not about words, but about living for Christ every day.”

Haley and her opponent in Tuesday’s GOP runoff for governor, U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett of Westminster, also have aired television ads that include references to their Christianity.

Barrett, a nondenominational Christian who was raised a Southern Baptist, said Tuesday that Haley could best answer questions about her faith and voters will decide what they think.

“Faith is very personal for everybody … but whether it’s Nikki or Vincent, I’ll let them talk for themselves.”

Democrat Sheheen said Friday that he has been spared attacks based on his faith. His family attends a Catholic church in Kershaw County, where his great-grandfather was a founding member in the late 1800s.

Sheheen said his one brief encounter with voter angst over his faith came during his 2004 state Senate race when he stopped by a sporting-goods store in rural Kershaw County to buy a shotgun. Sheheen said the store owner pulled him aside and said a group of people recently had been in and expressed concern about Sheheen’s Catholicism, doubting his Christian credentials.

“Unquestionably, people care about the character of their elected officials and they care about their core beliefs,” Sheheen said. But, he added, voters seemingly are becoming more tolerant of differing religious views.

“It was more of an issue when my uncle (former S.C. Speaker of the House Bob Sheheen) ran in the ’70s and ’80s,” Sheheen said. “He spent a lot of time explaining to folks that he was a Christian and our family had been forever.”

It's an interesting prospect, having to explain to people that "I'm a Christian too" to people in 2010. I understand that for South Carolina the election of either as Governor would be a huge step, and I understand equally that there's a very good chance that neither candidate will make religion an issue, that too being a large step forward.

It would be nice to see other religions tolerated more freely, as well as atheists.  (There are more than you think out there.)  Sadly, politics is still a Baptist/Episcopalian/Methodist game in this country.  Yes, there are plenty of Roman Catholics, Jews, and increasingly Muslims and Buddists in politics in 2010 and that's a great thing.  But tolerance on religion in politics has lagged far behind gender and race in this country and still does.

When we get an avowed atheist, Wiccan, or Unitarian in the White House or even in a Governor's mansion, we'll have gotten somewhere.  And even that will only be another step forward, not the end of the race.