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Politicians use religion, and they get their troops riled up with religion.

Religion, for better or for worse, has been politicized in blatant ways that have seldom been equaled in American elections.

I think the world looks down on Republicans for their socially conservative views, which includes religion in government.

I think that we are at a point in our country where we're trying to decide what role should religion play in the political arena.

It's possible that the 2012 general-election race will be the least overtly religious one since 1972, the last campaign before Roe v. Wade and the rise of Jimmy Carter brought evangelicalism into the political mainstream. That's because faith remains a complicated issue for Obama, who is still wrongly thought to be a Muslim in some quarters.

I think that what went wrong with religion is the same thing that went wrong with politics. Is that it became too money based and too controlling. It's just a weakness that we human beings have for control - we want one thing and then we want more and then we want more.

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.

Whatever you think of George W. Bush, he left office with his faith intact, and I respect that.

Government needs to stay out of the religion business altogether.