If Tom Cruise was running for President

[cthulu2016]

If Tom Cruise was running for President would the particulars of his beliefs as a Scientologist be germane to assessing his fitness?

I will grant that if a majority of Americans were Scientologists or generally sympathetic to Scientology that it would be bad politics to criticize his beliefs.

But would the proportion of Scientologists in the population determine whether his beliefs were relevant to his fitness for office?

Bonus Question: Is modern conservatism a religion? It seems t be at least as much a religion as Scientology, which identifies itself as a religion. At what point would it be indecent to question the belief that Obama was born in Kenya? What percentage of the population would have to believe that with religious fervor for it it become indecent to contradict the assertion?

[longship]

1. Sorry, a definitive NO, with qualifications

First, nobody as ignorant and uneducated should ever be considered a viable candidate for any office, especially POTUS.

Second, presuming such a thing happened, at every opportunity I would ask him questions about mental health. As soon as he explains that it's all because of Xenu, we're done.

Then, I would display in flashing, red letters:
Scientologists really believe this.

[ZombieHorde]

2. Bonus question answer (from my perspective): No.

Religion is supernatural answers to life's big, philosophical questions. For example: What happens to us when we die? How did the universe come to be?

Conservative politics does not answer those questions, but Conservative Christianity does.

Again, all of this is from my perspective.

[cthulu2016]

3. That's a fair point, however...

If acceptance of the "Judeo-Christian" religion is a requisite part of a secular philosophy then it is no longer a secular philosophy.

I honestly do not know whether "out" atheism is possible while being a conservative. Would the top proponents of conservatism say it is possible?

Would Rick Santorum say that conservatism included a set of religious beliefs?

Are some republican candidates characterized as insufficiently conservative for not being more about God?