The Catholic League did not take a position on John Roberts as a nominee for the Supreme Court, and we are taking no position on Harriet Miers. Our sole concern is that all nominees are treated fairly with respect to their religious affiliations.
When Roberts was attacked for his Catholicism, we struck back at his offenders. We did the same when Miers came under attack for her Christian background. In both instances, the bigots didn’t wait 24 hours before they unloaded. Our response to them was just as quick, as evidenced by our news release of October 5. Here is what we told the media:
“The anti-religious secularists on the Left are more concerned about keeping abortion-on-demand legal and keeping our society free from religious influence than any other issues. It is what defines them. Imbued with hate, they are already targeting the Christian status of Harriet Miers. And when it comes to hate, few can match the vitriol of Mollie Ivins, the syndicated columnist from Texas.
“In her tirade against Miers, Ivins doesn’t so much focus on the high court nominee’s credentials as she does her religion. Her screed, titled, ‘The Unification of Church and State,’ is revealing because it accurately conveys her deepest worry: namely, that a committed Christian may actually be appointed to the Supreme Court. ‘Miers, like Bush himself,’ Ivins notes, ‘is classic Texas conservative Establishment, with the addition of Christian fundamentalism.’ In case one doesn’t know what Ivins means by that, she helpfully accommodates: ‘What I mean by fundamentalist is one who believes in both biblical inerrancy and salvation by faith alone.’ By which she really means—LOOK OUT—THIS DAME IS DANGEROUS.
“There’s more. She later says that Miers’ church ‘states on its website that it believes in biblical inerrancy, full immersion baptism, original sin and salvation dependent entirely upon accepting Jesus Christ. Everyone else is going to hell.’ She then proceeds to trot out JFK on separation of church and state, the one Catholic anti-Christian bigots love to cite.
“What is truly remarkable about this is that Miers has said nothing about her religion (she was born Catholic and later became an Evangelical Christian) to provoke Ivins. Moreover, the Interfaith Alliance, American Atheists and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights have already urged senators to beware of Miers.”
