Can we focus on the issues and candidates and not on their respective religion?
Listen, most voters include character in how they weigh a candidate -- it's not just some cold, robotic impersonal issues assessment. Don't get me wrong, issues & values are extremely important, but you can't separate candidate from character; and you can't separate character from faith.
Example: If a candidate has no faith -- if they believe they become worms when they die, then they don't believe in ultimate accountability. Politicians have enough trouble already with accountability without erasing it even more.
Now, take a temple Mormon. Temple Mormons believe they will one day become gods of their own planet/star. If they believe the rhetoric of their leaders, they, in fact, already believe they are a "god-in-embryo". Do you really think conservative Christian voters appreciate voting for somebody who thinks they are right a "god in embryo?"
You can't get around it. Otherly dimensional beliefs affect what people do this side of death. By all means, let's take everything about a candidate into consideration -- including whether they pay their taxes or not...cause that's a character issue, too!
Can we focus on the issues and candidates and not on their respective religion?
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For some candidates their religion and their fitness for office are very closely linked.
Our faith affects our worldview, our politics (by extension of worldviews) and we would govern if elected.
Some more than others, granted. But it is not a ‘non’ issue.