■ Do you believe, as at least one of your pastors has said, that the United States is a "Christian Nation"? If so, what does that mean for the nation and for those who are not "Christians," as you define that term?
■ Just three months ago, you stood next to Pastor Ed Kalnins in your former church, nodding your head in agreement, as he told the congregation that he believes that the "Last Days" are upon us and that the reason Alaska needs to build up its infrastructure through your policies as governor is that Alaska will be a refuge for people fleeing from the Lower 48 states during the coming "End Times." Do you believe that there will be an "End Times," and if so do you think it is coming soon?
If such a question seems bizarre to ask of someone who seeks to be next-in-line to the presidency, it is. But I know about the kooks of the extreme "Christian Right"; I have been studying them for years, and the prospect of having someone who is even more extreme in her belief in this sort of nonsense than the current president is in control of an arsenal of mass destruction that could bring about a real version of their fanciful "Last Days" is literally terrifying.
If Sarah Palin and the McCain campaign will not provide an opportunity for her to be questioned freely and fully about her beliefs concerning such topics of enormous relevance, no American who does not subscribe to the "Greater Gory of Christ" inversion of Jesus depicted in Tim LaHaye and Jerry P. Jenkins's best-selling (and worst-Christian) book series, Left Behind, should vote for the McCain-Palin ticket.
Ellen Goodman said of Gov. Palin the other day, "So far, she looks like a Bridge to Nowhere." Palin's extreme religious views indicate that she may instead be a Bridge to Somewhere Most of Us Definitely Don't Want to Go.
Governor Palin, answer all questions about your religion, as John F. Kennedy did 48 years ago today.
{Historian Robert S. McElvaine is Elizabeth Chisholm Professor of Arts & Letters at Millsaps College. His latest book is Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America 
.}
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