Arguing Obama's faith

This letter is in response to David Limbaugh's column entitled "Obama Handcuffs America in War on Terrorism," which appeared in the Jan. 15 Southeast Missourian. In the fourth paragraph of this column, Mr. Limbaugh, in speaking of President Obama, states that, "He professes to be a Christian, yet his behavior screams otherwise."

The president's actions and policies are fair game for critical commentary. However, I would suggest that his religion or lack thereof is not an area of concern for commentary.

To begin, the First Amendment to the constitution states in part that, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereofÂ…." Secondly Article VI of the Constitution requires that all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support the Constitution. But it goes on to say that, "Â…no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." In other words, a person's religious orientation is not a matter to be considered in determining their qualifications to serve as a public official.

Barack Obama has repeatedly declared that Jesus is his savior and that he bases his life on Christ's teachings. Given this fact, I would suggest that David Limbaugh's personal attack on President Obama is unwarranted and adds nothing to the discussion of U.S. foreign policy.

JOHN PIEPHO, Cape Girardeau