I would look for a Presidential Candidate who does not wear his/her religion on their sleeve, but recognizes the fact that the United States is a country with many different religions and that even if all of them are in the minority, they must be respected and treated as equal. People of the United States have the mistaken notion that secularism means rejection of one's own religion. It is not rejection at all. It is a true and sincere respect of all religions. I am reminded of the time in the 1930s when Christian missionaries came from the West to convert the oppressed "low caste" Indians. They stood on street corners denouncing Hinduism and proclaiming the virtues of Christianity.
After several months of this farce some missionaries, who were friends of my grandfather, Mohandas K. Gandhi, asked him why the oppressed were not accepting their offer. Grandfather's response was bitterly truthful. He said: "The day you stop talking about how good Christianity is and start living it, everyone will want to become a Christian." I think this message has relevance today, especially in the United States. The day we stop proclaiming our Christian virtues and start living it people around the world will respect us for what we do. I hope the candidate, and I must confess I don't see anyone on the horizon, will turn the United States into a truly Christian country that will put the Sermon on the Mount where it belongs: front and center of our Constitution.
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