Checking Religion at the Door.

• Position: Many fear that Attorney General John Ashcroft's religious beliefs will interfer with his duties

The deeply religious son of a conservative minister, John Ashcroft--President Bush's pick for U.S. Attorney General--doesn't drink, smoke, gamble, or dance. He does sing and write songs, though, and even released a tape Gospel (Music) According to John, featuring his "Carry the Cross."

In his confirmation hearings before the Senate last month, critics feared Ashcroft would carry the cross into office (see Opinion).

"The fact that Ashcroft doesn't dance is the least of our worries," says Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "The bigger worry is that he has a fundamental misunderstanding of the separation of church and state and of the legitimate role of religion in public life."

Ashcroft--who as a Governor and U.S. Senator opposed abortion, homosexuality, pornography, and making birth control...