We've seen what happens when it serves a president's interest to flaunt his faith - which is almost inevitably does, since every poll affirms that Americans want their leader to submit to some higher power.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
A candidate's faith is not the only consideration, but should be a major consideration in electing the president of the United States.
Do I think faith will be an important part of being a good president? Yes, I do.
Under this president, we have a government that has grown too big, too costly and now even more overbearing by forcing religious entities to abandon their beliefs.
To restore the American experiment in democratic self-government, religious believers need to redouble their civic efforts. For without our active participation in politics, the government will continue to trample on our rights. The Constitution does not prevent people of faith from being active in politics.
Voters must have faith in the electoral process for our democracy to succeed.
You can almost see voters nodding their heads at home: The public's faith in politicians and political institutions has been on a steep and dangerous decline for decades, because elected leaders fail to deliver.
I think it's a good thing for a president or political leaders to want to put their values or their faith into action. Desmond Tutu did that in South Africa. Martin Luther King Jr. did that here. This is a good thing.
I think if you look at yesterday's New York Times poll, particularly when you judge Democrats in Congress versus the Republicans in Congress, people put a little more faith, or even a little more than a little more faith in the Democrats in Congress.
When religious leaders get involved in elections, it is usually with a reactionary social agenda.
America's a faith-based experiment as a country. We should celebrate and invite faith. And our motto is, 'In God We Trust.' This isn't something that divides; this is something that pulls together and lifts us up.