At least Bernie is listening

Since it hasn't been widely reported, somebody should note that Bernie Sanders has "clarified" his position on Russell Vought. While the senator's position is still problematic, the trouble with what he says now is factual rather than philosophical and is certainly an improvement over what he seemed to be saying at Vought's confirmation hearing.

Sanders now says that he has no objections to someone believing that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation and that what he was reacting to was Vought's defense of Wheaton College for firing a professor who "expressed solidarity" with Muslims. Actually, the professor stated that Christians and Muslims worship the same God, an assertion which can be falsified simply by asking any given Muslim whether Jesus is his or her God. This was a theological position at variance with the beliefs of Wheaton College, a religious school, and Wheaton was well within its rights in terminating the professor.

I say this despite the fact that I am also dismayed by the fanatical quality of the hostility of many otherwise reasonable Americans' attitude toward Islam and Muslims. The thing is, while Vought could have been more careful in his choice of words, neither Wheaton's action nor Mr. Vought's writing about them reflected such an attitude. So while I am relieved that Sen. Sanders agrees with the Constitution that there should be no religious test for public office in America, his criticism of Mr. Vought is still off base.