[Sudetenland]

I'm a Southern born Christian Conservative and I am not comfortable with a Southern evangelical Preacher for President.

Here's a good-and sincere-question for all of you Huckabites. Have we ever in the history of our nation had an ordained minister or head of any church as President?

I'm going to go research it, but I don't believe so, unless Jimmah was ordained (I do know he was an ordained disaster, but minister, I just can't recall) .

[Sudetenland]

Answering myself, it looks like James Garfield was the only “ordained” president.

[newheart]

I’m not really a Huckabite. Unless he gets the nomination. But then I will no doubt support whoever the nominee is.

I’m pretty sure that Carter was not an ordained minister but I don’t see that as a problem. I’m not saying it is preferable, I just don’t see it as a problem (except perhaps in electability).

[Verginius Rufus]

I think Andrew Jackson wanted the Tennessee state constitution to bar ministers from holding public office. This would have been in the 1790s when Tennessee was first admitted to the Union.

I don't know if I would go that far, but I'm not very comfortable with the idea of a Baptist preacher, or other preacher, being the Republican nominee...it would probably guarantee defeat in November anyway so whether he would be a good President would be a moot question.

[x]

Here's a good-and sincere-question for all of you Huckabites. Have we ever in the history of our nation had an ordained minister or head of any church as President

James Garfield was a church elder and minister -- some say a lay minister (I'm not sure what the distinction is) --in the Disciples of Christ. Benjamin Harrison had been a church elder and Sunday school teacher. Carter was also a deacon and Sunday school teacher.

It looks like there were more Presidents who had no religious affiliation or didn't go to church than were ministers.