A Further Note on Religion as an Identity Factor

I came across this article on the Washington Post website:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/patheos-on-faith/post/10-questions-worth-asking-about-a-candidates-faith/2011/09/26/gIQAOqlX0K_blog.html

"So, in the spirit of journalistic “fairness,” here is a suggested (albeit incomplete) list of 10 questions worth asking about a candidate’s faith:

1. How does your faith inform your public service?

2. In what ways has your faith experience helped you become a better citizen? A better leader?

3. Can America truly be “great” apart from God and a belief in God?

4. What role might your faith play in the event of a national emergency (i.e., terrorist attack, nuclear war, etc.)?

5. Should Mayor Bloomberg have been allowed prayer at the 9/11 Memorial event this month in NYC? How would you have handled this?

6. Has your faith changed you as a person? In what ways?

7. Does your faith experience cause you to be more accepting of other people’s belief systems or less?

8. After 9/11, the song “God Bless America” was often sung at public events (i.e., sporting events, etc.). In what ways do you believe God has “blessed” America? In what ways do you pray God will continue to “bless” America?

9. Do you view your entrance into public office as a means for advancing your particular faith group or denomination?

10. In what ways do your commitments to faith and family help qualify you for public office?"

I am reminded again of how much religion is an identity factor.  People are drawn to it, repelled by it.  People judge it, shun it.
In politics, it is a very large decision for some people when they vote.  People judge candidates based on their religion.  In politics, it is an inescapable part of one's identity.  They have to pick a "religious" view to hold by so that they have something to tell the voters.  It's something a lot of people are about.