IN Lt Gov Micah Beckwith wants IN’s Constitution to require candidates for public office “profess their belief ‘in Judeo-Christian orthodoxy.’” [FN1] His views are abhorrent. In a 10/24/19 selfie video, he said “the church” provides the morality America was founded on 1/11

and you cannot be moral if you are a “Hindu, an atheist or a Jew.” If you are not a Christian, you lack the capacity to BE moral. In mid-North Indiana, people like Beckwith usually said, “It’s not MY way. It’s [g]od’s.” Not said up front: you must be a TRUE Christian. Beckwith’s 2/11

“Judeo-Christian orthodoxy” [FN2] really means Beckwith’s “orthodoxy.” That’s kinda sick [FN3] and brings to mind hundreds of years of Christians killing each other. To the same audience, Beckwith said that he wants to “restore the religious oaths contained 3/11

in some states’ early constitutions” ruled unconstitutional by a 1961 Supreme Court case. Did he read Torcaso v Watkins, 367 U.S. 488 (1961)? Writing for the Court, Justice Black noted early colonists left Europe to escape religious test oaths, but turned out to be perfectly 4/11

willing, when they had the power to do so, to force dissenters from their faith to take test oaths in conformity with that faith. 367 U.S. at 490. Beckwith’s arrogance is born of ignorance that is on full display when he says: “That doesn’t mean you have to be a Christian; doesn’t mean 5/11

you have to swear allegiance to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. [just] recognize what the foundations of this nation are.” Then an audience member “challenged Beckwith’s comments, asking about Native American religions,” Beckwith said “he was referring to the 6/11

foundations of the United States, not the religious beliefs that existed before European settlement of the continent.” [FN1] Beckwith’s wrong about many things, but especially to imply the founders of this country consist only of those who came from Europe & killed people 7/11

who lived here. Some of those people survived & their descendants are part of our society now. The founders necessarily include those who were enslaved and transported here, to be bought and sold as chattel, but whose descendants also are here today, freed with the Civil War. 8/11

Women were part of the founding & still struggle for rights. People of European descent who hold beliefs far different from our ancestors, but that’s freedom. Beckwith wants people to think he’s not a bigot. But read what he says about Islam. For racy stuff, read about his church. 9/11

Footnotes:
FN1. Sydney Byerly, “Beckwith wants Indiana candidates to attest belief in ‘Judeo-Christian orthodoxy,’” The Indiana Citizen, 7/30/26, accessed 7/31/26.
FN2. “conforming to established doctrine esp in religion.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 1974 ed., p. 494. 10/11

FN3. See, Tom LoBianco’s reporting at 24SightNews, e.g., “Christian nationalist lieutenant gov’s embattled church key polling location in Indiana primary.” 11/11