Why Americans Need to Know the Faith of Presidential Candidates
For most of American history, the conventional wisdom has been that religion is too private a matter to ask a political candidate about.
But in a political landscape in which we see Muslims, atheists, Mormons, Buddhists, and Christians of all stripes running for high office, best-selling author Stephen Mansfield says we cannot afford to avoid religious questions.
Mansfield says it is the right of American voters to know what their candidates believe, since those beliefs shape policy and thus action.
In his latest book, Ask the Question: Why We Must Demand Religious Clarity from Our Presidential Candidates, Mansfield shows readers:
- What religion can mean in a presidential race
- How the media, both left and right, get religion wrong
- The reasons the faith of candidates such as JFK, Mitt Romney, and Barack Obama caused issues with voters
- Why Hillary Clinton is among the most religious politicians on the American scene today
- How to ask the right questions to get honest answers
- What giving candidates a "religious pass" can cost the country
- How religion in American politics impacts America's role in the world
Frustrated and confused voters across the country and on both sides of the aisle will find here a balanced and essential guide to understanding the importance of religion in America's political system.
Stephen Mansfield joins Pat Robertson on The 700 Club on Thursday, Feb. 4, to talk about why it's so essential that we ask this most fundamental question of our presidential candidates.