Bill Keller on questioning candidates' faith

QUESTIONING CANDIDATES' FAITH: Times editor Bill Keller poses a question:

If a candidate for president said he believed that space aliens dwell among us, would that affect your willingness to vote for him? Personally, I might not disqualify him out of hand; one out of three Americans believe we have had Visitors and, hey, who knows? But I would certainly want to ask a few questions. Like, where does he get his information? Does he talk to the aliens? Do they have an economic plan? Yet when it comes to the religious beliefs of our would-be presidents, we are a little squeamish about probing too aggressively. Michele Bachmann was asked during the Iowa G.O.P. debate what she meant when she said the Bible obliged her to “be submissive” to her husband, and there was an audible wave of boos — for the question, not the answer. There is a sense, encouraged by the candidates, that what goes on between a candidate and his or her God is a sensitive, even privileged domain, except when it is useful for mobilizing the religious base and prying open their wallets.

Generally, although I'm of the view that people's rights to religious freedom ought to be protected, I feel that candidates ought to be looked at based on the 'whole package' (I suppose you could say). Keller makes some interesting points, regardless of what your view is on the whole issue.