Culture

Ashcroft the Target of Religious Bigotry

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Matt Friedeman
Contributing Columnist
January 18, 2001

Wasn't it Dan Quayle, former vice-president, who once suggested that the only bigotry acceptable in the nation today is that against the evangelical right?

Attorney General nominee John Ashcroft might be the latest case study.

When Joseph Lieberman was tabbed as Al Gore's vice-presidential running mate, it was a brilliant choice -- because he was "religious." Orthodox Judaism was the faith of choice for the media thereafter, and Lieberman was deemed the better man for it. Think of the values, the perspective, the interesting nuances (walking, not driving, on the Sabbath and definitely no campaigning) that the senator from Connecticut brought to the ticket.

When Ashcroft was selected for George W. Bush's cabinet, the whispers about his religiosity began. Even other religionists got into the campaign. Liberals from the Interfaith Alliance were critical as the Rev. C. Welton Gaddy noted the obvious, then intimated that Ashcroft wasn't worthy to serve: "Religion in the public square must respect the rights of others to practice faith without imposing one's ideology or belief."

No mention was made by Gaddy that Ashcroft had said the same thing repeatedly in his career.

And then there is Sen. Charles Schumer of New York: "It may be," intones the senator, "that (Ashcroft's) philosophical and ideological beliefs are so deep that even if he believes he is enforcing the law, he isn't."

Ashcroft is, of course, the son of an Assembly of God preacher, one of the fastest growing denominations in the world. Like other denominations, the AGs aren't without their specific and less than mainstream emphases. While Orthodox Jews believe that marriage outside of their faith is tantamount to sin, food should be kosher and the Sabbath should be strictly observed, the Assembly of God folks believe that speaking in tongues is a significant religious experience, sharing one's faith is a standard expectation and the Holy Spirit wants to empower believers to do extraordinary things in the world today.

It hasn't happened yet, but one wonders how long it will be before the likes of Dan Rather goes into a fired up Assembly of God church, shows the participants lifting hands and speaking in tongues and then peers menacingly into the camera and says, "This is the world of John Ashcroft -- your next Attorney General"?

It's not that the religious views of a candidate might not be fodder for criticism. Religious conviction is, by definition, the most important thing about us. Beliefs matter, and strongly held creeds affect public policy.

But why give an Orthodox Jew, or a liberal Methodist, or a lapsed Southern Baptist any less scrutiny for their religious persuasions than an evangelical, Bible-totin' man of moral integrity like pentecostal John Ashcroft?

Could it be -- bigotry?