Letter: Please leave religion out of politics

While I am a religious person, I don’t need to hear politicians talking about God, what God wants or doesn’t want, or their faith.

I am quite capable of managing my own salvation without any help. If I ever have a moral dilemma, I can consult with a religious scholar. So please, spare me any political pandering or legislation based on what some religionists believe is God-based morality, especially if it impinges on other people’s rights.

This country was founded as a secular nation, and while the Constitution guarantees its citizens religious freedom, it does not favor any particular religion. More and more, we have a plurality of religions in our country, and we should respect each other’s faith as long as it does not affect the common good.

I do not care whether Jesus entered some politician’s heart, or if our current president is a Mohammedan or a Christian, but am only interested in their performance or lack of performance in managing this country for the common good.

What I want to hear from presidential hopefuls is what they would do to address this nation’s problems, leaving any discussion of religious faith to the preachers.

This story was originally published March 20, 2016 at 12:21 AM with the headline "Letter: Please leave religion out of politics."