The editorial staff of the Peoria Journal Star seems to love to rewrite the Constitution to serve their own desires.  I have written before how they have misapplied the “establishment clause,” as has the Supreme Court, to create a “separation of church and state” which simply does not exist and never has.  Now they are misapplying the provisions of Article VI Section 3 in relation to the nomination of Harriet Miers to the U.S. Supreme Court.  To refresh our memories here is what the Constitution says, “but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”  They actually do quote the Constitution correctly and then they misapply it!


Here is what they wrote in the editorial, “Here we thought President Bush and many members of Congress had read and understood the Constitution.  (The editorial staff doesn’t understand the Constitution!—my addition)


Apparently not, judging by their efforts to sell Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers to the American public on the basis that she’s an evangelical Christian.”


“If the Founders meant what they wrote, then Miers’ religious orientation should be irrelevant to her rightness or wrongness for the Supreme Court.”  Wrong!!!  (It does seem odd that they are using what the Founders wrote in this instance but ignore it in relation to “separation of church and state” but that’s another post.)  They are wrong on their basic reading of the very Constitutional section they quoted.  The key word in that section for the purpose of this post is “required.”  That word destroys their unfounded arguments.  The Constitution specifically says a religious test can not be required as a qualification for an office.  It does not say and never was intended to say that one’s religious makeup can not be considered when dealing with any office.  It does not say that the values and character of an individual because of his religious faith can not be used in the determination of whether or not that individual is qualified to serve in that office.  In fact, to say such would be ridiculous and could then be use to disqualify such a person.  That then would be using a lack of religious conviction to judge an individual’s qualifications.  That would disqualify many of the people who participated in government at that time and some of the very individuals who wrote the Constitution.  Don’t be ridiculous!


The provision says a religious test can not be required for a public office.  It does not say and should never say that one’s religious beliefs should not be a part of why that individual is elected or selected.  As I said, they love to rewrite and/or misapply the Constitution to suit their own purposes.  Don’t be fooled by their misuse and abuse of the Constitution!