From the "o rly?" desk: Link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070730/ap_on_el_pr/politics_and_religion)

WASHINGTON - When George Romney ran for the 1968 Republican presidential nomination, his Mormon heritage was mostly a footnote. It was scarcely mentioned in news accounts of the day. But for son Mitt Romney, the family religion presents a formidable political hurdle. The article goes on to provide a brief summary of each candidates' religious background.

I have to wonder what the author was thinking when he wrote the head line. Either that or where he's been for the last 30 years.

It's a sad state to be in when all FOX 'News' needs to do to keep people from voting Barrack Obama is to 'accidentally' brand him a Muslim and 'forget' to retract the faulty statement. Religion and politics should not be mixed. Either you have rational arguments for a cause, or you don't. Invoking the name of your favorite deity as an excuse is, plain and simple, cheating, and should not be respected for a second. Or to quote Sam Harris:
We can't call a spade a spade, I mean, Bush can call a press conference and announce that he's going to appoint common sense judges, this is a quote, 'I'm going to appoint common sense judges who realize our rights are derived from God'.

Ah, I mean, it seems to me that the only sensible question from any journalist in the audience is going to be, 'Mr. President, how is that any different from saying you're going to appoint common sense judges who realize our rights are derived from Poseidon'? But that'd be the last question that journalist ever asked.
Excerpt from a speech on YouTube.

Does it really play a big part? I can't vote, so I suppose my say in this is moot, but I feel as if I should give my two cents.

Religion plays no part in the person I would choose to vote for. I don't even know any of the religions of any of the front runners. I did hear on Leno that Romney is a Mormon, but what difference does that make? I care only about what their views are, not what their religion thinks.

To me the religion is really secondary; it's common sense and critical thinking that matter the most. I'd vote for Chris Dodd (a roman catholic) but I seriously doubt that he has the necessary support to win the nomination.

I think it's a sad commentary on the state of our country (speaking for the U.S.) that such a topic carries such importance.

A good head on their shoulders would make me fond of any candidate. Though I think you've got to have at least a few screws loose to take part in modern politics.

but I'll echo what's been said, it's pretty sad how much importance religion carries in our country. So much for secularism right?

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false and by rulers as useful.

--Seneca, 4-65 CE.

I don't think Religion should have any place in politics. It's a very personal thing, and should remain personal.

I disapprove of any comments given by Presidents, Prime ministers etc who include their personal beliefs in a speech for example.

Maybe America's had a gutful of...scratch that they have had a gutful of Bush, maybe the way he went on about religion will have voters look past attempts to use it for political point scoring.

By the same token however Fox can stop the Obama bashing, their man Bush isn't getting in again.

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false and by rulers as useful.

--Seneca, 4-65 CE.

Well yeah. Really I don't think religion plays any important part in my choice, as long as there is no suggestion on setting up a therocracy or anything clsoe to that. If so then its a big "Screw You"

I don't care if your regilious ideal is the same as mine, trying to push it onto others(esp via government support) is a bad thing in my book. I can accept charity work with religious overtone, but that is about the best i will tolerate.

I don't think Religion should have any place in politics. It's a very personal thing, and should remain personal. But doesn't your personal opinion influence how you vote? If you are a deeply religious person, how do you keep your religious views separate from your political views (especially when the thing you are voting on has an impact on your religion)?

I still look at their voting record in previous offices, where they stand on the important issues, what issues are on the plate right now, how effective they've been in their offices, and how effective I think they'll be in the new office.

I've heard about the candidates' religious views very briefly, but I've been far more interested in hearing about their views on health care (d'oh!), immigration reform/border security issues, handling the national debt, taxes, and so forth. I've also noticed that their stance on the issues has received much more air/page time than their religious views, so it seems weird to me that someone is asserting that religion 'looms large'.

I think universal health care, immigration reform, and the Iraq War are going to 'loom large' in this election, not their religious views.

Ahh, Seneca the Younger. Seneca the Younger, may I remind you, was the tutor of Nero. And what a marvellous job he did, too. Seneca the Younger said quite enough while he was alive. He was also a crappy playwright.

"Religion and science are like the shoes on your feet - you can get further on both than you can on just the one." - J. Michael Straczynski.

As for the sudden importance of religion in USA politics, it isn't sudden. Or have you all forgotten the enormous hoo-ha made over JFK's (supposed) Catholicism?

EDIT: And there *still* hasn't been a premier of Great Britain and Northern Ireland who wasn't either Protestant, Atheist, Deist or somewhere in between.