But when religious beliefs cause a candidate to call for changes in the abortion law, for example, the public is entitled to know the basis for those beliefs. Stockwell Day apparently adheres to a fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible, where the earth is only 6,000 years old and human beings co-existed with dinosaurs. These beliefs have been roundly criticized in the Canadian media. Some fundamentalist Christians have been quick to defend Day, labelling any inquiry into a candidate's religion as bigotry, and claiming Day is being singled out because he is Christian. With virtually unanimous agreement, scientists point to multiple independent lines of evidence that support these conclusions.
Day certainly has the right to believe the earth is young.
This alone should not disqualify him for the position of Prime Minister. After all, he might hold such a discredited position because he hasn't studied the evidence. Although I personally might wonder at such a lack of intellectual curiosity, most people don't consider geology and paleontology as litmus tests for public office. But when Day advocates the teaching of the pseudoscience known as creationism in public schools, the situation changes. Now it is no longer just a case of a privately-held religious belief, but rather forcing children to be indoctrinated in a narrow sectarian interpretation of one particular religious text.