While interviewing Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) during the December 3 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews said of the November 28 CNN/YouTube Republican presidential debate: "[T]hese questions are getting very liturgical. How literal do you take the [Bible]? Where did Jesus stand on capital punishment? I mean, this is beginning to look like what the Constitution calls a religious test and proscribes, bans, really, in Article 6 of the Constitution. Why are candidates for the presidency being asked religious questions?" Matthews' question echoed his November 29 interview with Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, during which Matthews asked, “Why are you Republican candidates submitting to religious vetting about your belief in the literal nature of the Bible? Why put up with those kind of questions?” Matthews further asserted, "[T]hese are religious test questions. They're not about public policy. They're not about what you believe the country should be about. They're what you believe about the Bible. They're particularly religious testing of you fellows. Why didn't somebody raise their hand last night and say, 'This is not what America is about'?" In contrast, during a discussion with his NBC colleague Tim Russert, the moderator of the September 26 Democratic debate, Matthews noted that Russert had asked the candidates “if they had a favorite biblical verse” but raised no objections to the question, simply describing the candidates' responses as “interesting.” Moreover, though he did note on December 3 that at an MSNBC debate (on May 3), Republicans were asked about their beliefs regarding evolution, he did not mention Russert's September 26 question to the Democrats about their favorite Bible verse.

Indeed, during the September 26 MSNBC-sponsored debate, Russert asked the Democratic candidates, “Before we go, there's been a lot of discussion about the Democrats and the issue of faith and values. I want to ask you a simple question. ... [W]hat is your favorite Bible verse?” During his post-debate discussion with Russert, Matthews did not assert that the question was inappropriate, or that the candidates should have objected to it. Rather, he commented on the candidates' responses, saying, “I thought it was interesting that a couple of them didn't [have a favorite verse]. A couple of them went to prayer cards on St. Francis, and poor [New Mexico Gov. Bill] Richardson couldn't come up with any. ... I thought it was interesting they were all New Testament answers and they were all very positive, very liberal. I thought the Sermon on the Mount was an old Tip O'Neill favorite. I thought it was interesting that [Sen. Chris] Dodd [CT] said the Good Samaritan. I was very warmed by that.”

From the December 3 edition of MSNBC's Hardball:

MATTHEWS: I want to ask you about Iowa for a second before we get back to New Hampshire. Let's take a look at the latest Des Moines Register poll out in Iowa, where they are having the first contest on the 3rd of January. Huckabee is leading the Republican pack out there right now. He's gone way up, a 17-point jump from October. Romney's slipped to second place. What's Huckabee's strength? Is he simply the guy who's willing to talk most about God, calling himself in paid advertising “the Christian leader”? I mean, I've never seen anything like this in America before, this flagrant out-Godding each other.

McCAIN: What I have found about Mike Huckabee, Chris, is that he's a very congenial, very decent guy. I've had the chance to get to know him. He and I did a 90-minute forum together on health care. And I've found him to be a pretty decent guy. And he's able to articulate. And frankly, you know, I think he's proving that debates matter. The line he had about Jesus had enough sense not to run for political office was an excellent line, you know, at the response to that question about whether --

MATTHEWS: Yes.

McCAIN: -- what would Jesus do on capital punishment. So I think he's come across on the debates as a very congenial, pleasant, very good, thoughtful guy, I think is probably what's had a lot of the impact.

MATTHEWS: I've never heard you run as anything but than a secular candidate. I know you're a Christian. I know you're a Baptist, a practicing Baptist. You go to church. And I never heard you use religion as a way to get ahead. Now, these questions that have been thrown at the candidates, especially in that CNN debate -- and I admit we asked the question way back when about evolution. But these questions are getting very liturgical. How literal do you take the Constitution [sic]? Where did Jesus stand on capital punishment? I mean, this is beginning to look like what the Constitution calls a religious test and proscribes, bans, really, in Article 6 of the Constitution. Why are candidates for the presidency being asked religious questions?

McCAIN: First of all, I'm sure you meant, “Do you take the Bible literally?” not the Constitution literally, but I know what you meant.

MATTHEWS: Well, I'm sorry. That is a different question. Maybe that's the right question to be asking, how much of a strict constructionist you are. But we're asking strict constructionist questions of the Scriptures.

From the November 29 edition of MSNBC's Hardball:

MATTHEWS: But right now, we go to the man with all the momentum, Republican presidential contender Mike Huckabee. Governor, thank you for joining us. Let's take a look at a bit of last night, a question from one of the YouTubers and your response.

[begin video clip]

JOSEPH DEARING: Do you believe this book?

HUCKABEE: Sure, I believe the Bible is exactly what it is. It's the word of revelation to us from God himself.

[applause]

HUCKABEE: And the fact is that when people ask do we believe all of it, you either believe it or you don't believe it. But in the greater sense, I think what the question tried to make us feel like was that, well, if you believe the part that says, Go and pluck out your eye -- well, none of us believe that we ought to go pluck out our eye. That obviously is allegorical.

But the Bible has some messages that nobody really can confuse and really not left up to interpretation. Love your neighbor as yourself. Inasmuch as you've done it to the least of these brethren, you've done it unto me. Until we get those simple, real easy things right, I'm not sure we ought to spend a whole lot of time fighting over the other parts that are a little bit complicated.

[end video clip]

MATTHEWS: Governor, I think you, like a lot of conservatives, believe in the original purpose of the Constitution as written. It's our sort of secular bible. It says there should be no religious test ever required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States. Why are you Republican candidates submitting to religious vetting about your belief in the literal nature of the Bible? Why put up with those kind of questions?

HUCKABEE: Well, Chris, when guys like you quit asking it, we'll quit answering it. But the fact is, we get asked these questions in the debates, and if we evade them, if we act like we're not going to answer them, then we're going to get hammered for being unwilling to address the questions that are put to us. So that's why I keep answering them.

MATTHEWS: But these are religious test questions. They're not about public policy. They're not about what you believe the country should be about. They're what you believe about the Bible. They're particularly religious testing of you fellows. Why didn't somebody raise their hand last night and say, this is not what America is about. We should -- if there was a Jewish fellow up here, an Arab fellow up here, a non-believer, he'd have to say, “I don't believe in the Bible.” Then where would we be? Some people some giving the correct answer, according to some, and others giving the incorrect answer.

From MSNBC's September 26 post-debate coverage:

MATTHEWS: I thought it was interesting, you asked them all if they had favorite biblical verse. I thought it was interesting that a couple of them didn't. A couple of them went to prayer cards on St. Francis, and poor Richardson couldn't come up with any. What was he talking -- he had something that had nothing to do with the Bible. I thought it was interesting they were all New Testament answers and they were all very positive, very liberal. I thought the Sermon on the Mount was an old Tip O'Neill favorite. I thought it was interesting that Dodd said the Good Samaritan. I was very warmed by that.

RUSSERT: How about Biden and the Pharisees?

MATTHEWS: What was he saying, was it the Pharisees sitting in the first row in the temple? Or what was he talking about.

RUSSERT: Oh sure, the money changers.

MATTHEWS: He was talking about the show-offs. I think he might have been talking about people who believed they were superior to the public and in the back row. In fact, whenever I go to church, I know you do too, you check and see who's sitting in the first row.