Religious tests

The government can't impose religious tests on candidates for public office, but the Constitution doesn't say anything about newsweeklies.

Last Presidential-election cycle, Newsweek's Howard Fineman unloaded this gotcha on Howard Dean: "Do you see Jesus Christ as the son of God and believe in him as the route to salvation and eternal life?" Till then, Dean had been Yankee-reticent about his religious views.

Fineman caught some criticism for that, though he was unrepentant. (Dean's answer: yes.) This election cycle it's Time's turn -- although, granted, its approach is slightly more subtle. The magazine asked John McCain and Barack Obama to contribute -- "write" would be the wrong word in this age of speechwriters -- first-person accounts of how faith shaped their lives.

Nearly every aspect of a Presidential candidate's life is open to scrutiny, of course. But the not-so-hidden question in this essay test is: Are you Judeo-Christian enough to lead the United States?

Both candidates pass with flying colors (McCain's essay title is "A light amid the darkness"). But of course they do. That's what happens when the teacher flamboyantly signals which answers will get you an A, and when points aren't awarded for nuance. No religious tests, indeed.