Faith and Politics

How does the religious rhetoric from presidential candidates stack up?

One way to measure it is by taking a look at beliefnet.com's "God-o-Meter," which updates a candidate's rating based on interviews and other statements concerning religion. So each rating apparently is current.

Members of the religious right are said to be likely to bolt the Republican Party for a third-party candidate if Rudy Giuliani wins the nomination. Based on the God-o-Meter's current rating, that may be correct. Giuliani currently gets the lowest rating of any of the presidential candidates -- tied with Democrat Chris Dodd.

Does religion belong in a political debate? Many people swear by the principle of "separation of church and state," but, in reality, church and state have never been legally separate.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan owed his election as president, in part, to the activities of Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority. Four years earlier, Jimmy Carter had no problem talking about being a "born again Christian" who was seeking the presidency. In 1960, John F. Kennedy had to deal with criticism for being a Catholic running for president of a nation that had always had Protestant presidents.

The discussion of Mitt Romney's Mormonism is just the latest chapter in the story.

Whether overtly or covertly, religion has always had a role in political campaigns.

The question each voter has to answer is, how much of a role does religion play when you're deciding which candidate to support?