A few years ago, when we were living in a rented house on 46th street, our shower stopped working. Phoebe called the landlord, who sent a plumber to fix it. As the plumber made his way to the bathroom, he walked under two crucifixes, and passed by an icon of John the Baptist and a statuette of the Blessed Virgin in the hallway. He glanced at each of these sacramentals but said nothing. Then he examined the bathtub plumbing, and told Phoebe, “You just need a new devouter. I mean, diverter!”

If I were to be described as a devout Christian, I would take it as a compliment. And if I were to call anyone else a devout Christian, I would mean it as a compliment. But would I be — should I be? — more likely to vote for a candidate for public office, because I thought he or she was a devout Christian? Let’s go back to Michael Bates, who started it all, and see if he was right.
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