The Washington Post's On Faith panel weighs in on the role of prayer and religion. Rev. Brent Walker, Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty says religion has an important role to play in our politics, even while maintaining church-state separation, but should be approached with care:
Candidates for office are free to discuss their religious beliefs and other values and, specifically, how these would inform the candidates’ leadership style and policy positions. In fact, when candidates discuss their faith, it helps us know who they are, learn what makes them tick, and examine their moral core.
Nevertheless, candidates’ talk about religion can be overdone and worn on their sleeves to curry favor with voters. Broad religious claims, if used as a generic substitute for descriptive policies, can both harm religion and political debate. It is always important to make sure candidates’ walk matches their talk.
See the rest of the panelist responses here.
