The religion card

America is not a theocracy, yet religion continues to play a major role in national elections.

CNN’s Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider reported yesterday (LINK):

“Religion is actually becoming a problem for both political parties, according to a new Time magazine poll.

“Last November, two-thirds of voters who said they never go to church voted Democratic. That's only 15 percent of voters. Nearly half said they go to church every week. Most of them voted Republican.

“Implication? Democrats better figure out a way to increase their appeal to churchgoers.

“Do voters see Republican candidates as more religious than Democrats? No.

“Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat Barack Obama top the list of candidates the public sees as having strong religious faith. Obama seems comfortable talking about faith, partly because of his African-American heritage.

“Quoting Obama, ‘My moral commitments to that vision of a - what Dr. King called a beloved community grows out of my faith.’

“Who do voters see as least religious? The two national front-runners, Democrat Hillary Clinton ...

“ ‘I come from a tradition that is perhaps a little too suspicious of people who wear their faith on their sleeves, so, that a lot of the talk about and advertising about faith doesn't come naturally to me.’

“... and Republican Rudy Giuliani …

“ ‘For someone who went to parochial schools all his life, this is a very frightening thing that's happening right now.’ “ (Giuliani joked as lightning hit his microphone while he was answering an abortion question at a recent presidential debate.)

Schneider continues:

“Many Americans see a downside to mixing religion and politics. The number of Americans who believe President Bush has used religion more to divide the country than to unite it has grown from 27 percent in 2004 to 43 percent now.

”So, it appears both parties have a religion problem.

“A third of voters and 30 percent of Republicans say they are less likely to support Mitt Romney because he's a Mormon. Now, Romney is dealing with the issue the same way John F. Kennedy dealt with the issue of his Catholic faith in 1960 - head on.

“Romney quotes Kennedy, who said he was not a Catholic running for president; he was an American running for president.”

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There is, in my opinion, a defining line drawn in the sand between candidates with a moral compass and those who use their religious beliefs to attack and belittle opponents.

Update: See my friend Mr. Frodo's related commentary: LINK