SMontgomery:

The fundamentalists themselves would not deny that their goal is to enact more Christian laws, by which they mean laws which reflect a literalist Biblical worldview. Many fundamentalists would further not deny that they would *love* to see America as a Christian theocracy. The idea of living in a patriarchial theocracy is not a pleasant one to many of us, particular the kind of reader Slate tends to draw.

So again, I reiterate: fundamentalists seeking high governmental positions are scary-dangerous, yeah.

I know you're not writing to me, but I'd like to jump in. I am a fundamentalist (I guess; that term is not always precise), and as I mentioned in the opening post of this discussion, I am a former student of the school Hanna wrote about.

I do not want America to become a theocracy. I believe biblical teaching is strongly in favor of allowing people to make personal choices. This does not mean I do not disagree with people's choices, but they have a right to make those choices without penalty under the law.

I do believe some evangelical Christians (not all by any means) make good public servants because they prize honesty and integrity. I would think these are attractive qualities whether a person is a Christian or not.

Of course there are corrupt Christians, and they should not be elected any more quickly than corrupt atheists or other religious adherents. When I am deciding who to vote for, to be honest, a personal profession of faith is less important to me than if I believe someone has the character needed to perform the job well.