Throughout history there is example after example of different political candidates being placed under scrutiny based on their religious beliefs. So it’s no surprise, looking to this U.S. presidential election, that the candidates’ religious beliefs have played an important role.
With such a diverse set of candidates the controversial issues of a candidate’s beliefs about religion and spirituality has already been dissected in this year's campaign. The media buzzed over Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who was removed from Obama's African American Religious Leadership Committee in March for controversial sermons he delivered.
The press also analyzed for days on end the YouTube video showing vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin declaring the war in Iraq to be "God's will.” Religion and faith came up again in August when McCain and Obama met at evangelist leader Rick Warren's church for an electoral forum.
In every election in every political office a candidate’s religious beliefs will have some sort of influence on the voter. The question is just how much do a candidate’s religious views truly affect a person’s choice on who to vote for? The religious vote is a very real factor and has played a pivotal role in presidential elections. When polled by the Pew Research Center, 71 percent of Americans claimed to believe in God while 57percent say spirituality is an important and crucial part of their daily lives.
Despite the fact Americans like to claim to belong to one of the world's most religious free, modern nations, a majority of citizens still say religion should stay out of politics, according to an August poll from the Pew Research Center.
The research done this year by the poll shows a shift in the attitudes of conservative voters. Four years ago 70 percent of conservatives said faith should be involved in politics. This year, though, 50 percent now say religion and politics should be separate entities.
The nation’s split in opinions on this controversial subject becomes evident even when polling college students. Cassandra Nielsen, a UNO sophomore, said the candidate’s religious views had no influence on her vote in this or any election.
“Personally, I don’t think a candidate’s religious beliefs should influence my vote because I believe in the separation of church and state. I definitely don’t think a presidential candidate’s personal religious preferences should in any way affect their governing decisions,” Nielsen said.
Cammi Krueger, a senior at UNO, holds the exact opposite opinion regarding religion and her vote.
“A candidate’s religious beliefs affect my vote because religion affects everything. Whether someone wants it to or not, a candidate’s beliefs and morals are always at the back of their mind. I mean look at every staple political issue; abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research, ect…someone’s opinion on these issues all revert back to their morals, their beliefs, their religion,” Krueger said.
Church leaders in the community have a difficult time wading through this topic on their own. Though spirituality is important to him, Rodd White, a deacon at Candlewood Community Church, said it’s not the only issue he looks at when considering who to vote for.
“I believe that the candidates need to have a strong set of morals and values but just because a candidate claims to be a Christian doesn’t necessarily mean he or she has my vote,” White said.
Too often a candidate misuses the religious vote and misrepresents their beliefs, White said.
“It’s sometimes hard to even really know for sure what a candidate believes now a day. Being religious almost is just being used by the candidates to get more votes,” White said.
