Why you should care about faith in politics

Thanks to an automobile commercial, the word "Duh" has come back into regular language, rescued from its status as a slang term used primarily by children and teens. It seems to be an appropriate term to describe a recent political commentary.

The commentary was in a syndicated column by Richard Cohen that ran in the Daily Herald Aug. 14.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told WHO radio in Des Moines that he was "not running as a Mormon," but then cited the Bible as his rationale for opposing gay marriage. Cohen criticized him for sharing how his religious faith affects his personal positions on issues of moral importance.

That shouldn't be of any importance, wrote Cohen, complimenting candidate Rudy Giuliani for telling a reporter that a candidate's religion is his own private affair. Cohen said that Giuliani has been married three times "and presumably carried on with No. 3 while still married to No. 2," adding, "but what all this has to do with Sept. 11, national security, the need for universal medical coverage and the subprime market is beyond me."

It may be beyond Cohen, but it certainly isn't beyond millions of potential voters. Religion has been abused in the political arena, but it still is important. Do I care whether a candidate is Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, Jewish? No. But do I care whether a candidate shows a solid moral foundation on which he/she stands? You bet I do.

And so do many other Americans. Why is religion an issue right now? Because the public cares.

How many non-religious presidents have we elected in our history as a country? Not many. They may not have used their faith as political capital -- something most of us see through fairly quickly -- but it has strengthened them in the crucial moments of their presidencies, and for that we are thankful.

Tell me that George Washington, John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson and others didn't turn to prayer when the big decision buck stopped at their desk. Tell me that Billy Graham's access to the White House throughout numerous presidencies was simply show and not evidence of a deep spiritual side to the lives of our national leaders.

So, Richard Cohen (and others who follow the same line), write about politicians who use religion as a political tool. Write about the reasons for being suspicious of a candidate who parades his/her faith in public in a gratuitous fashion.

But write also about the way faith has strengthened our presidents for the intense pressures they face and the unbelievably difficult decisions they must make. Write about how important it is to the American public to know that its leaders have a solid moral foundation on which to stand.

Religious faith is important in a candidate. "Duh" is an appropriate response to those who can't see this.