The Separation of Church and State: Does Religion Affect Votes?
With every tick of the clock bringing us closer to mid-term elections, the usual dog and pony show appears to be in full swing as incumbents and challengers alike vie for public favor. Each with their own brand of rhetoric and promise.
Interestingly, it would seem that faith and personal beliefs have become a growing factor in the decision-making process for some voters. Perhaps this is born from the speculative attitude of the populace as to the true 'religion' of our President, who can't seem to decide if he is Christian, Muslim, or a closet-case Jeremiah Wright-ite. Ironically in the past, with maybe the exception of G.W. and a few other pre-millennium presidents, expressing one's faith would be detrimental to a favorable outcome; just ask Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. While perhaps their faith wasn't the main reason for their loss, this American is sure it played a part in some voters' decisions.
Unless you have been under a rock for the past two years, the question of Obama's faith has been under attack since day one. Firstly, having a name that sounds way too much like a jihad-bound terrorist (yea, terrorist), one has to wonder if Mr. Obama does have roots in Islam; after all, his Christian name is Barry. Second, in his first 100 days in office, he reversed the "Mexico City" anti-abortion Policy. Mis-quoting the Bible (a lot) and giving mixed signals about his faith are also some pretty red flags as to the validity of his claims to be Christian.
Then there is Christine O'Donnell, the Tea-Party spokeswoman who stated on Bill Maher's "Politically Incorrect" that she "dabbled in witchcraft" in her younger days. "I was in a rebellious phase. Some kids did drugs, I dabbled in witchcraft." Statements such as this cannot be good for her votes. She canceled her scheduled interviews with CBS's 'Face the Nation' and a Fox News interview.
So when you head to the voting booths this November, will religion play a part in your decision?
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