I think the fact of the matter is that Christian principles are inseparable from western culture. Many of our traditions have their origins in Christianity.  Personally, I think it is rather benign for a candidate to espouse their religiosity or to have minted on our currency "in God we trust,"  However, the U.S. is a melting pot of cultures and religions and in this country there is no room for policy decisions to be guided by a select religion.  One glaring example is our misguided support for defending Israel.  

Believe what you wish, say what you want, this is a free country, and if you feel you can deduce someone's  character from their piety, then more power to you.  Just keep it out of law-making and setting the direction for the country.  

Joe Sapp, don't hand us the argument that freedom of speech gives you the ability to impose your religion through law and the right to proselytize in public places.  I'll bet you're afraid the Islamofascists will come over here to impose Sharia law, aren't you?  Tell me how that's different?

Sapp, our nation was founded by people getting away from religious persecution so that they could practice their own religious beliefs, without interference by government.  Our forefathers knew that religion had no place in politics, and said so.  

Joe Sapp writes
"I want to know if the man I intend to vote for is  a man of character not like Bill Clinton who has no character."
First, how do you know your man has real character, they all act perfect but we really no they are not. If you give me 60 million tax dollars I can prove that none of them have character.
Second, Bills wife forgave him, why can't you, being a good christian as you suggest you are, why not forgivness? Jesus taught us that, seems you'd want to follow the scripture.
third, no one is without sin, including you, your blog proves it, you cannot let this thing go, perhaps a little less self rightiousness and a little more forgivness is what we all need. be a little more zen, let it go, it is in the past.

REG - good points that haven't been covered sufficiently (although a number of commentators have tried).  I'm speaking of course of the Bush personality disorder that REG mentions - if there's anything worse than a sociopath at the helm of (our) government, it's having two - thank you Jesus!!

OK so all of you who haven't read or studied the founding of our country and the part played by our "founding fathers" gassing in the wind.  They were DEEPLY religious men.  Wlse why would Benjamin Franklin suggest they start each meeting ob the constitutional convention with prayer?  Have any of you even seen a copy of the Constitution, let alone have read it.  The founding fathers knew that not everyone would agree with what they believed in, and having recent history of the religious conflicts of the past barely a century old or less wise inserted the part about the separation of church and state and rightfully so.  So much of world history in Europe was caused by or at least strongly influenced by religion sharing a bed with the state.  Just because a person is or proclaims to be deeply relgious he/she should never flaunt that to the American public.  Religion is a personal matter. A subject for agency and freedom of choice.  What any and ALL cnadidates should do is remember to do the Honorable thing, say and do what is right for the country not some self motivating principle of purpose just so they can push their own personal agenda.  How many of you remember the First 3 words of 6 Constitution?. . . . . .   "We the People. . ."
Unless "We the People" get off our collective buts and leave the comfort and seemingly security of special interests and Pray, YES I SAID PRAY!! for guidance on how to help this country and Who to vote for we are doomed to slide even further down that slippery slide that leads to Chaos and possible Dictatorship by proxy.

Cleanliness is next to Brett Favre!

Wow! Normally I just read these, but today I feel moved to comment.  I am 40 yrs old and I don't know what history books were read by some of you, but in mine it clearly stated that religious freedom was one of the reasons America was founded.  The constitution clearly states that religion and government are not to influence or overrule ONE ANOTHER.  One does not trump the other.  And as for conservatives being dupped by Bush, most of us voted for him because we like government to be about it's business and not in our personal business.  The majority of people I have read have said they researched the issues, but clearly have not.  FYI Clinton knew about 911 in his first term, and the tax cut for the rich Bush passed was for us rich people making 20-30 thousand a year.  The Democrates call anyone making above 15,000 a year rich.  I wish that I was a rich as some of them are. All the candidates have faults, but how they feel about religion IS important.  We don't have to agree, but we do have to agree to keep our hands off each others beliefs

I seem to remember The Man From Galilee saying that we should "worship our Father in secret, because our Father sees in secret."  It ought to go double for candidates!  Remember, folks, America is NOT YET a Theocracy!!

I do pray every day george, I pray that we find a leader that will get us out of the mess this current leader has got us in, I pray that we can get rid of this political divide that this leader has intensified, I pray that we the people can come together and create a better place for our children.
Oh yeah I am a fouth generation democrat and I was taught to love my neighbor and to respact the laws of the land. I agree with much of what you said but there are people who do not have religious beliefs and they deserve just as much respect as the religious do. We are all americans and we all need the support of each other during this trying times.

The far right wing movements like the 700 club, Focus on the Family, the Heratiage Foundation, Recliaming Christ for America, and I can name a lot more far right wing movements that will take up an entire book are really Militas.  These Militas want to and have tried to infiltrate the Government.  They have infiltrated the Government by having trying to get Congress to pass a Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage, and the Terri Schaivo case.  Infiltrating the Government is a very serious matter like treason or overthrowing the Government.  Infiltrating the Government needs to be taken very seriously.  These far right movements want to put the United States under theocratic law just like what the Taliban did in Afganistan, or like the governments in Iran and Saudi Arabia.  The far right movements think exactly like the Terrorists.  The United States talks about going against Islamic Facist regimes.  The far right movements are Facist movements.  The Far right movements bomb abortion clinics and say they are doing the work of GOD and Jesus.  The MIddle Eastern Terrorists like to bomb buildings and say they are doing it in the name of their GOD.  The Far Right Movement is a bigger threat to this country then the Terrorsits are. Pat Robertson has made comments on the 700 Club that they should plant a nuclear weapon at Foggy Bottom in Washington DC and has said they should nuke the State Department.  Talking about nuking buildings or places is a very serious matter.  The FBI should have arrested and investigated Pat Robertson for saying they should nuke buildings.  If I said something like that on TV they would throw my butt in jail and label me a suspected terrorist. What Pat Robertson was saying on his show is not free speech it is threating the Government. These nuclear weapons that Pat Robertson was talking about are the same types of weapons the Untited States fears that terrorists might use on us. If the Far Right Movements put the Untied States under Thoecratic Law under their regime we could end up being a terrorist state.  If the far right got their way into changing the regime we could end up threating attacks on countries that don't agree with the US just like what the Middle Eastern Terrorists are doing to us right now.  The thing is the US is a nuclear power and if the far right got their way in changing our regime they could nuke a city in a European Country because the Europeans Countries have a system of law and are more liberal then the United States is and the far right doesn't like Liberalism just like how the terrorists don't like Liberalism.  These far right movements are a threat to National Security and the Goverment.  We need a Presidental Administration that will take these far right movements and what they are up to very serious. We need a Presidental Administration that will put NSA Survalliance and use the Patriot ACT to their advantage against the far right movements.  We need a Presidental Adminstration that will stand up to the far right movements. The Far Right Movements are a threat just is serious as Communism was, and Terrorsim is.  The Far Right Movements are going to have to be a new War this country is going to have to fight.

Jesus called those praying on street corners hypocrites and said to pray in your closet where no one will see you. When I see a publicly praying politician, I think-"hypocrite",liar. Jesus also said to keep God and Cesar separate and he also called politicians and religious leaders white-washed graves. Forgive your enemy, forgive prostitutes and other dregs of society. Watch out for the fake "christians", they are frauds! They are doing everything opposite of what Jesus thought.

I do not know, really, whether I am a left winger or middle of the road, but I am a democrat and a devoted follower of Jesus.  And the Jesus I know loved his neighbors.  He was concerned about their illnesses, and chasing out demons, and economic justice, and loneliness, and outcasts and people like you and me.  He wanted the Jewish homeland to be ruled in a Godly way and not by Caesar.  He hated oppression, and predatory lending, and arrogance and feathering ones own nest whatever the cost.  And He said, "Know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

He did not say He would make us free.  He said the truth would.  

I don't know about you, but I want to vote for someone who has a vision of America.  America the way Jesus saw his homeland.  A free people.  A Democratic way of life.  A people who know just how terribly prescious the truth is, and who have the greatest respect for it.

And, yes, my faith very much affects the way I see the future of my country, and my choice of candidates in this election.

I hope you all have a strong faith.  But I would never lobby Congress to pass laws  which affect the way you express your faith - who or when or how you worship.  You see, that would be a terribly unChristlike form of oppression.

The best we can hope for is that our faith, whether Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Islamic, or Bhuddist (to name a few)leads us to the truth.

Those of you who are going on about the Untited States being founded by Christians are missing the point entirely.  Why did the Puritans, the Quakers, and a variety of other sects end up in the New World?  Because the governments where they came from would not allow them to live according to their beliefs.  Who were these people who imposed such restrictions?  Members of other Christian sects.  THAT is the crux of the matter and the entire justification for the concepts which collectively are known as separation of church and state.  If I have the right to impose my religious beliefs on you as law I am AUTOMATICALLY infringing upon YOUR religious freedom.  I am a religious person, a person who has served as Deacon, Elder, and board member in a mainline Christian congregation.  My beliefs influence everything I do and how I do them.  As an AMERICAN I am OBLIGATED to understand that I am not able to impose my beliefs on others.

There is one basic truth some people may not want to hear, but it is truth nonetheless: religion is religion is religion. The point is that each candidate is probably a member of some religion, so when you criticize any candidate for their religion, you are basically saying that another religion is somehow superior. I don't care what religion a candidate is a member of, since I know that their religion says nothing about what kind of president they will be. The question that I do ask myself is "which candidate is best capable of making decisions that are in the best interests of the country, as opposed to making decisions that are in the best interests of a religious belief".

Ron:

I am afraid that you may not really understand what it means to have religion and to be religious.  A religious person is one who has God at the center of his life.  A non-religious person is one who has something else at the center of his life, like money or power or whiskey or himself.

Whatever it is that is at the center of a man's life guides and directs everything he thinks and everything he does.  If you do not know what is at the center of a man's life you do not know the man.

Most folks will not tell you what is at that center -or will mislead you if you ask.  You have to read between the lines. If you know what to look for, it is not all that difficult.  If you do not get reasonably good at it, you are destined for disappointment.

It is much more difficult when you are unable to sit with a person and look him square in the eye. It is much more difficult when all you have to go on is sound bites and videos and second hand information.  But it is crucially important and I would just suggest - you have to try.

Ron:

I am afraid that you may not really understand what it means to have religion and to be religious.  A religious person is one who has God at the center of his life.  A non-religious person is one who has something else at the center of his life, like money or power or whiskey or himself.

Whatever it is that is at the center of a man's life guides and directs everything he thinks and everything he does.  If you do not know what is at the center of a man's life you do not know the man.

Most folks will not tell you what is at that center -or will mislead you if you ask.  You have to read between the lines. If you know what to look for, it is not all that difficult.  If you do not get reasonably good at it, you are destined for disappointment.

It is much more difficult when you are unable to sit with a person and look him square in the eye. It is much more difficult when all you have to go on is sound bites and videos and second hand information.  But it is crucially important and I would just suggest - you have to try.

Mike - IMO, a good president must be able to separate his responsibilities as President from his personal belief system. Judging by your response, you don't seem to think this is possible...or perhaps even proper. My point is that there are times when a Presidents personal belief system comes into conflict with decisions he must make as President. Those who are unable to make those decisions should not be in the Oval Office IMO.

Were are choosing a President of the Untited States to lead 300 million people not a church leader or pastor. Keep religion out of politics. It is someone that were electing to Washington not Vatican City.

Jeremy:

Let me assure you, when the heat is high in the kitchen, Jesus is comfortable  there.  He is comfortable in the street, whether it be Washington, Dallas, or wherever.  Presidents have to make agonizing decisions.  Just think how much more agonizing it must be for a man who has no spirtual compass.  Just think about how hard it must be for a man who is unable to find peace within, when the noise level screams.

I expect you believe in something, Jeremy.  Is it something that will stand by you when you absolutely, positively have to get it right?  If your something isn't up to it, better stay ut of the kitchen.

Let's not separate church and state.
I love how it works in the Arab countries.

More people have been killed in wars over religion then anything else.

Mr. Bush while caliming to be a good Christian doesn't seem to follow the principles of such.
Why is there always money for war but, never for the poor in our country?

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