Communion Watch for Kerry

One of the issues facing John Kerry this election season is the status of his religion. Many people, but especially conservatives, are trying to pin him down on just whether he can describe himself as a "real" Catholic or not. Does this strike anyone else as pretty irrelevant on the issue of whether he would be a good president or not? Conservatives seem to be using religion for crass political gain.

Ted Olsen writes in Christianity Today:

[I]f Kerry is to be denied Communion, it looks like it won't happen in Boston. "The archbishop has made no comment about Sen. Kerry and his Catholicism, nor does he plan on doing so in the near future," archdiocese spokesman Christopher J. Coyne told the Herald. "If someone presents themselves for Communion, unless they're obviously not Catholic, we give them Communion," Coyne told The Boston Globe. "The important thing to recognize is that the reception of Holy Communion is not a reward for living an exemplary life; the reception of Holy Communion is, among many things, a remedy and nourishment of the soul for the Catholic Christian, to help them persevere in seeking a life of holiness and becoming more aligned with the church's life."

It's worth noting that Kerry's worship practices aren't just of interest to Roman Catholics, nor is Protestant concern over his taking Communion limited to sacramentalists. Even Southern Baptists, who generally believe that Communion is only a symbol, are weighing in. "Have we really reached the point when candidates must just "happen" to be evangelical Christians, Jews or Roman Catholics?" asks Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Al Mohler.

Uh... yes, Al (and Ted). We should be at the point where candidates can just "happen" ot be evangelical, Catholic, or whatever. Such information might tell us something about where a candidates stands on certain issues, but it need not. The fact that Kerry "happens" to be a Catholic should not, by itself, causes us to automatically vote for or against him. He "happens" to be a Catholic, but his Catholicism should not be all that relevant. How others judge his Catholicism should be even less relevant.

Read More:

• Roman Catholicism
• Religious Right
• Evangelicalism
• Separation of Church and State 101