We recently reported that Senator Bernie Sanders believes Christians are unfit to hold public office because they believe in salvation through Christ alone. He attacked a nominee for the White House Office of Management and Budget for believing that Muslim theology does not lead to salvation—or in other words, being a traditional orthodox Christian.

Now, two more Democratic Senators are joining in the attacks on Christian nominees. In a hearing to consider Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (a seat located in Indiana), Senator Dianne Feinstein (D, Calif.) and Senator Dick Durbin (D, Ill.) both noted concern about the fact that Barrett is a Bible-believing Catholic.

The de facto religious test now seemingly embraced by multiple Democratic Senators is unconstitutional and should be forcefully rejected! Sign this petition to Senators Feinstein and Durbin now!

Barrett is a celebrated law professor at Notre Dame University and undeniably qualified for the judgeship to which she’s been nominated. She also happens to be a committed Catholic. This fact should obviously have nothing to do with whether or not she is confirmed to the Seventh Circuit by the U.S. Senate. In fact, Article VI of the U.S. Constitution states that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Officer or public Trust under the United States.”

Despite the clear Constitutional prohibition on religious tests, Senator Durbin directly confronted Barrett about her religion. He asked her: “Do you consider yourself an orthodox Catholic?” This question is obviously inappropriate and, in context, was meant to imply that it would be a bad thing if she were, indeed, a member of the same religion as five current members of the U.S. Supreme Court. Bad, how? Durbin never explained, but this obviously has something to do with the anti-Christian bias permeating through our society—demonstrated most recently in Christian groups appearing on the Southern Poverty Law Centers list of “hate groups.”

Senator Diane Feinstein was even more explicit. She told Barrett: “The dogma lives loudly within you, and that’s of concern.” You heard that right; a U.S. Senator criticized a judicial nominee for living out the dogmas of her faith. One can assume that Feinstein is most concerned about Barrett’s religiously motivated opposition to abortion (the killing of unborn babies in the womb), but that specific issue is not what Feinstein attacked. Instead, she explicitly stated she was “concern[ed]” that Barrett didn’t just call herself a Catholic, but actually believed the commands of the Bible.

This “concern” (now expressed by at least three U.S. Senators) implies that these Senators would prefer excluding all orthodox or Bible-believing Christians from public office. Please sign this petition to say that we will not allow this unconstitutional anti-Christian bigotry!

Though not as explicit as Sanders’ recent statement that a Christian “nominee is really not someone who this country is supposed to be about,” it seems clear that Senators Feinstein and Durbin would agree. Why else express concern about a nominee’s Christian religion?

This level of bigotry and intolerance is truly unprecedented in national politics. Please ask these Senators to reconsider their radical, bigoted views. Americans can disagree about their religions, and still live in a tolerant pluralistic society. At least, the Founders thought so. Apparently these Democratic Senators disagree. 

Please make your friends and family aware of this situation. This position is unacceptable and untenable with basic religious freedom in America. The media and these Senators’ constituents should ask them NOW why they believe there should be a religious test to hold public office in America!

Further Resources:

http://dailysignal.com/2017/09/06/two-democrat-senators-show-hostility-to-religion-in-questions-for-judicial-nominee/