Faith on a 1 to 10 scale

"How important is your faith to you?"

The aforementioned query by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson should not have been unexpected.

Religious faith imbues the values of many, if not most, people who hold some semblance of a belief system.

Jackson seemed prepared for such a question, replying that her faith was "very important," but reminded the long-term Capitol Hill lawmaker there is no religious test in the U.S. Constitution.

She quoted Article 6 of the venerated document, the pertinent portion of which reads the following:

"The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

Graham did his due diligence.

The question was asked and answered.

The senator ought to have moved on to the next topic, but he didn't.

In a rejoinder, Graham then asked:

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how faithful would you say you are in terms of religion?"

Reader, how would you answer such a question?

In a bizarre aside, and before the nominee could frame a reply, Graham admitted he essentially didn't have a great deal of credibility on the subject.

"I go to church probably three times a year, so that speaks poorly of me. Do you attend church regularly?"

Jackson handled herself with class and dignity, as most nominees to the nation's highest court must if they wish to be confirmed by the Senate.

"Well, Senator, I am reluctant to talk about my faith in this way, because I want to be mindful of the need for the public to have confidence in my ability to separate out my personal views."

Watching the exchange on YouTube, this columnist found it was a strange three minutes before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Scale

Graham's faith scale, in his questioning of Jackson, was 1 to 10.

Although he didn't specify the parameters, one could assume "1" means relative apathy to the faith question and "10" means a high degree of piety.

Don't think about it too hard, though, because it seems evident Graham really didn't expect a reply.

The senator may deserve points for later admitting to being a lax worship attendee.

In such moments, my mind, as it does often, wanders to the words of Jesus immortalized in the New Testament.

The story cited below appears in both Mark chapter 10 and Matthew chapter 19.

Jesus was approached by a young man who asked him what he needed to do to be saved.

The Master did not ask his youthful inquisitor to place himself somewhere on a sliding scale from 1 to 10.

Instead, Jesus referred the man to the commandments.

"I have kept these since my youth," the man shot back.

In one of the more poignant moments in the Gospels, we read these words after the claim of great faithfulness.

"Jesus, looking at him, loved him."

Although Scripture doesn't provide us with any sense of facial expressions when Biblical characters speak, I'd like to think Jesus had a wry smile on his face -- one that said, "Young man, you can't fool me."

There is no religious test in the Constitution.

There is no sliding scale, no 1 to 10, to categorize the level and depth of a person's religious faith.

This writer has watched the exchange between Jackson and Graham several times now.

Each time I do, I think to myself: "Jesus, looking at Lindsey Graham, loved him."