When politicians cloak themselves in inappropriate religious language and portray anyone who questions their policies as opposing good—good that ought to triumph over evil—everything is absolutized, debate stops, and democracy is crippled. Any difference of opinion is no longer received as an idea worthy of honest consideration; it is rejected as if it were an expression of evil.

Manipulative abuse of religion not only diminishes the role of religion in public life and damages the integrity of democracy; it abandons the genius of those who wrote our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This nation’s founders knew from first-hand experience that religion and government would try to manipulate each other.

We are not electing a religious leader or conducting a competition to find the holiest candidate. Indeed, the United States Constitution prohibits a religious test for public office. There must never be a litmus test to judge one’s politics or fitness for office based on their religious beliefs and we must not judge one’s religion based on how they vote on specific political issues.

At The Interfaith Alliance we urge candidates to follow these guidelines: Be authentic about how their personal beliefs will guide their decisions and actions in office; never use an elected office to favor one religion over others or religion in general over non-religious beliefs; remember that any use of religious language must be sensitive to voters from a wide diversity of religions and belief systems; and never use religion as a form of political strategy to gain admiration, loyalty, and votes.

Whenever religion is tied to one partisan view, the role of religion as a nonpartisan healing force is damaged.