Atheist, Muslim candidates worry voters
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One in four people in the U.S. said in a recent poll that they would be less likely to support a presidential candidate who is Mormon, an ominous sign for Republican contender Mitt Romney.
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In voter registration drives, sermons and voter guides, religious groups from across the ideological spectrum have intensified the level of their political activity this year, prompted in part by right-left culture clashes and the legacy of the tight presidential race in 2000.
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Comment is free: Timothy Garton Ash: The recent contortions of presidential hopeful Mitt Romney show why faith should not trump reason in the public square
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The war in Iraq; jobs and the economy; terrorism. For voters nationwide, those issues seem sure to determine the outcome on Election Day. But in several critical swing states, the conservative push to amend state constitutions and ban gay marriage is giving delegates and party officials a way to lure a group of voters &#151; especially traditional churchgoers &#151; who could tip these states to President Bush.
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A federal judge heard arguments Thursday in the case of an atheist who wants to prevent a Christian minister from reciting a prayer at President Bush's inauguration.
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Abdullah Gul, a religious man in the secular realm of Turkish politics, hopes to persuade the establishment that it has nothing to fear from his candidacy.
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Hurdles include his Mormon faith and convincing voters of his views on social issues.
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Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry has begun speaking more openly about his faith, a move political experts say is crucial to chipping away at President Bush's advantage among churchgoers.
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U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris told a religious journal that separation of church and state is "a lie" and God and the nation's founding fathers did not intend the country be "a nation of secular laws." The Republican candidate for U.S. Senate also said that if Christians are not elected, politicians will "legislate sin," including abortion and gay marriage.
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Exit polls stir a debate over the role of morals - and religious values - in the nation's politics.
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Republican Mitt Romney retorted to questions about his faith by surging rival Mike Huckabee on Wednesday, declaring that "attacking someone's religion is really going too far."
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While Christian beliefs help gird his antipoverty campaign, he believes that politicians who identify closely with one religion cannot be inclusive.
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The Associated Press asked the 2008 presidential candidates what their religion is, whether there is a particular church that they are a member of, and how often they attend services.
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Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has received the backing of leaders of the estimated seven-million-strong Muslim-American community, but the endorsement was lukewarm at best.
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With more than 1,200 Muslims and Arab-Americans taken into custody after the Sept. 11 attacks, and a U.S.-led war raging in Iraq, many Muslims oppose George Bush in the November presidential election. But their voting for John Kerry is not a slam-dunk, either.
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The American Humanist Association applauded Rep. Pete Stark for publicly acknowledging he does not believe in a supreme being. The declaration, it said, makes him the highest-ranking elected official &#151; and first congressman &#151; to proclaim to be an atheist. The organization took out an ad in Tuesday's Washington Post, congratulating the California Democrat for his stance.
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A religious battle is taking place on the Internet, with two very different groups arguing over the existence of God.