Actually, it seems to be forgotten that Jesus once ran for President, and the result was a fiasco. Since the first plank of his platform was "Love your enemies," he had no choice but to seek the nomination of both parties at the same time, promising to merge the two into one. Republicans and Democrats were brought up short by the idea. Jesus called it a win-win situation for them, given the enormous savings in campaign costs. Pollsters were bothered by Jesus's claim that he knew how the election would turn out in advance. It seems that his Father, who has a finger in everything, had tipped him off.

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The Question: John McCain's spiritual guide, televangelist Rod Parsley, calls Islam a "false religion" that should be "destroyed." Should McCain renounce Parsley? Will Islam be an issue in this year's U.S. presidential election?

John McCain doesn't have to put the shoe on the other foot now that he has a controversial preacher to contend with, just as Barack Obama did a few weeks ago. Neither candidate should be held responsible for second-hand opinions, and since McCain didn't pour kerosene on Obama's firestorm, I doubt that the reverse will happen. For the first time in twenty years, neither candidate is asking God to vote for him. Our secular democracy has a good chance of backing off the ledge that right-wing fundamentalists and those who pander to them pushed us toward. In a perfect world, God wouldn't vote at all.

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The Question: Jeremiah Wright's sermons continue to be an issue in the presidential campaign. Why? What do you think of his preaching style? What do you wish you understood better about it?

I can't help but wonder if the surfacing of Jeremiah Wright -- and his
recent resurfacing on PBS and other venues -- didn't send a shiver of fear
through campaign central in the Obama camp. In himself Sen. Obama
exemplifies the success of racial integration, having lived in both worlds
and understanding each with unaffected sympathy. Rev. Wright is not such a
person. His manner was gentler when talking to Bill Moyers -- you wouldn't
recognize the firebrand from those YouTube video clips -- and he attempted
to sound reasonable without backing down, however, from anything he has said
in the past.

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