Americans Want a "Religious Person" to Be President, According to New Study

Religion is definitely playing a greater role in politics, and the presidential race. A national poll, given this year, by the Sacred Heart University Polling Institute, has found that Americans (60.7%), want a "religious person" to be president. But a majority (66%), also said that the candidate's specific religious affiliation was not important to them.

Dr. June-Ann Greely, SHU assistant professor of Religious Studies, explains the findings this way, "We think we can understand something meaningful about a person, a politician, if we have a sense of his/her religious beliefs, because clearly, religious belief is still esteemed by a majority of Americans."

However, the front-runners for the Democrats and the Republicans (Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani), are presently considered to be the least religious of the candidates. But Democrats have been working tirelessly, to rid their party of the reputation of being unfriendly to the religious. Barack Obama, has held "faith forums" in Iowa and New Hampshire.

It is highly recommended that the candidates need to tell their own personal faith story, in order to appeal to voters. Religion In the News writer Mark Silk, in his article, "The Democrats Get Religion", tells us that the best scenario is to have a biographical story of "moral growth and development" that comes from a time of trial, or a moment of crisis. President Bush is the role model for this, as he often told his story of drinking gone wild, that morphed into a transformation of soul and spirit. Silk reminds us, that it even came complete with "a close encounter with Billy Graham."

Hillary Clinton's liberal Methodism is more about social change that heart issues. On the campaign trail, she uses Bible verses in her speeches, talks about the teachings of Jesus admonishing us to care for the poor, and even references her own prayer life. She states that she came from "a praying family."

And who hasn't heard the intriguing account of Barack Obama's religious influences? His dad was a Muslim turned atheist, and his mom, a spiritually inclined anthropologist, who was not fond of organized religion. Obama somehow ended up at Trinity United Church of Christ, led by Jeremiah Wright, where he had a "spiritual awakening." But he had to eventually distance himself from Wright, because of his radical beliefs.

John Edwards had little to do with religion during his career as a trial attorney, but the death of his son caused his faith to reemerge. He has credited his Christian beliefs with sustaining him through the pressures of his political career, and his wife's battle with breast cancer.

John Green, senior fellow at the Pew Forum On Religion and Public Life in Washington, feels that there have been "modest gains" for the Democratic party. "Many independents two years ago saw the Democrats as a party where secularists had too much influence. The fact that (this) perception is declining could make it easier for independents to vote for Democratic candidates, " he surmised.

Whether all this is actually working for the Democrats is debatable. A poll released in September, by Time Magazine, indicated that only 16% of those surveyed perceive Clinton as "strongly religious", with 24% for Obama, and 28% for Edwards.

According to Newsweek, November, 2007, Senator John Kerry feels that a candidate doesn't need to go to church regularly to be elected, but he must not be an agnostic or atheist. He also realizes now, that he simply waited too long, to talk about his own faith in the presidential race with George W. Bush.

Apparently Americans don't want too much religion though, as evidenced by the poll results that 43% of Americans feel that "religious conservatives" have too much control over the Republican party. Religious conservatives are the most reliable and predictable voters on the GOP side of the aisle, and George W. Bush's election is overwhelmingly due to their turnout.

Throughout history, presidents have included religious references in their speeches. According to a report at Seattlepi.com, requests for God to "bless America", and calling the United States a "divinely chosen nation" are referred to by scholars as "civil religion", where politicians speak of religious principles to evoke a sense of unity and national identity.

Bush is frequently referred to as the "most publicly religious president" since Woodrow Wilson. While Ronald Reagan was greatly loved and admired by religious conservatives, he was far less outspoken about religion. His son, Ron Reagan, eulogized his father by saying that he did not "(wear) his faith on his sleeve to gain political advantage." This was interpreted by many to be a jab at George W. Bush, as Bush regularly speaks about his faith, and refers to God in public speeches. Traditionally, this has always been viewed by the American public, as a positive attribute, in view of the crucial decisions that must be made by a president. Bush takes this a step further by bold statements, such as, "Americans are a free people, who know that freedom is the right of every person, and the future of every nation. The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world, it is God's gift to humanity." (At times he seems to be acting in response to a mandate from God. He applied the phrase "good versus evil" for the battle between the U. S. and radical Islam.)

In a nation that inscribes "In God We Trust" on our money, opens many governmental functions with prayer, and states in our pledge that we are "one nation under God...", it is good to know that Americans still desire faith and spiritual values when choosing a leader.

Sources: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070615/27995_Poll:__American_Voters_Want_a_Religious_President.htm
http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/RINVol10%20Nos1,2/Democrats%20Get%20Religion.htm
http://www.newsweek.com/id/69531
http://pewforum.org/surveys/campaign08/
http://pewforum.org/events/index.php?EventID=22
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/187081_focusbush22.html