“Mike Huckabee may be a nice man, but his record is troubling.”

I’m sure that quote or some variation of it is what is going on in the thought processes of most of his opposition. It may be what is going on in your head as you are reading these words.

I’m here to tell you that Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee is NOT a nice man. I’m also here to tell you that Mike Huckabee is more dangerous to the future of the Republican Party then any other Presidential candidate.

Huckabee, the Pastor, may have been a nice man. Huckabee, the Governor, may have been a nice man, as well. (We all know his record shows that he is an incompetent man, but he was probably nice.) However, Huckabee the Presidential Candidate is NOT a nice man.

There is nothing nice about what Mike Huckabee is trying to do in order to secure the Republican nomination.

He’s using religion to divide, rather than to unite. His campaign strategy is completely contingent upon the “fact” that he is the only “real Christian” in the race. In fact, he is counting on his image as a “real Christian” to attract other “real Christians” to his side.

This author considers himself one of those “real Christians”. I’m a Born-Again Evangelical Christian. I believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God. I believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, that he died on the cross, and that he rose from the dead on the third day to provide salvation for those who would accept him as Lord and Savior. I believe there is only one way to heaven, not many roads to one destination.

I disagree with many of the tenets of the Catholic Church. I also disagree with many of the tenets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I disagree with the tenets of many faiths and denominations. I do not believe that the Saints of the Catholic Church are to be prayed to. I do not follow the teachings of Joseph Smith.

The above statements were not meant to offend my many LDS or Catholic friends, as I’m sure my friends of all different faiths and denominations disagree with me on many tenets of my faith. However, I made the above statements to prove a point. The point is that I am exactly the target audience of Mike Huckabee’s Presidential Campaign. However, I have seen through his simple rhetoric and am insulted by the insinuation that I should vote for him because he’s a “real Christian” That kind of strategy is against everything America stands for.

Faith was central in the creation of America and as much as Post-Modernism has tried to push it out, faith is still central. However, Huckabee is counting on the “real Christians” to forget that America is a place where people may disagree, but fight to the death for each other’s right to differ. Instead, Mike Huckabee is attempting to institute a religious litmus test, which is immoral and un-American.

Let us take Ronald Reagan as an example. Ronald Reagan was clearly a man who had a tremendous faith. It oozed out of him and was central to the man he was in public life. Yet he never used his faith to divide. He was not a Catholic, but as President his most consistent prayer partner was one. When Jimmy Carter ran for re-election in 1980, he styled himself, the “real Christian”. We know what a disaster Jimmy Carter was as President and Reagan clearly was a wonderful success.

Likely the greatest part of Ronald Reagan’s character and talent was his ability to unite, rather than divide. In socializing or in government activities, he liked people. When assembling his team and in picking his friends, he picked quality, rather than a dividing characteristic. In fact, Reagan is known as the man who brought together the three legs of the Republican Party. Mike Huckabee is clearly not a man who wants to do this.

Mike Huckabee is the gravest threat the Republican Party has faced because, opposite of Reagan and in order to win, he is trying to divide us. The latest polls have shown that he may do just that. This would spell disaster for the Republican Party. Jesus Christ once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand”.

Huckabee is bastardizing his deeply held religious beliefs by using them as a marketing tool. What should be a man’s most personal and treasured sentiment is being used to garner votes. Now I do not claim to know the mind of God on every issue, but I do not think that He likes His name to be used in that fashion.

If you are a “real Christian” and you are reading this, I pray you do not let this happen. If you believe that Mike Huckabee is the most qualified candidate, then vote for him. But please consider the fact that there is no other candidate in either party that, Republican or Democrat, is trying to gain your vote by using religion as a litmus test, divider, and marketing tool.

Don’t fall for the lie that says if a candidate’s religion is more acceptable to you than another’s then you should vote for that candidate. We are not voting for America’s Pastor, Rabbi, Preacher, Priest, Imam, or Evangelist. We are voting for President of the United States. The person who is most qualified and shows the most promise for leading our country through the challenges ahead should get your vote. He’s getting mine.

If you fall for the bait of the religious litmus test and vote according to it, then shame on you! Shame on all of us if we allow religious prejudice to determine our nominee.

Say no to Mike Huckabee.