Why in United States a politician needs to be very religious to be elected?

Question

I tought in your Constitution it said separation of Church and State.

Why religion plays such an important role there?

Answer 1

Because this is a religious country in that most people ascribe to one religion or another, and so the person we elect should represent us and our beliefs.

The separation of church and state is to keep the state out of our church, and to keep the freedom of expressing our religion, no matter what religion that is.

Answer 2

A politician only needs to PRETEND to be very religious because almost half of the United States want someone who have the same values they do instead of looking at what they stand for when it comes to the real issues. When we neglect the other issues we wound up with the people who we have in the White House now.  

Answer 3

"Read about Tripoli"

The Treaty of Tripoli is NOT something of which most USians would be familiar.

Don't forget, fundie has ensured that USian youth has been dumbed down ... they have to be to get sucked in by the whole invisible-sky-critter scam [which] is childish nonsense not too dissimilar to bogeymen under the bed; it was invented by crafty old men as a management tool to scare and or control peasants and small children.

~

Answer 4

It's tradition. People keep saying a person can't get elected without a religion, so the politicians declare their religion every time they run, just in case it's true.

Answer 5

Obama isn't very religious...............

Answer 6

they don't need to be very religious, they just have to pretend to be very religious because for some reason a large portion of Americana's don't want a leader who will not consult his imaginary friend before every major decision.

Answer 7

Because too many bible thumpers want to change this country from a democracy, to a theocracy.  

Answer 8

They want to gain votes, particularly down south.

They basically want to attract the "bible belt" of america.  

Answer 9

americans don't even know what their Constitution says, they only think they do. They prefer to have corporations interpret it for them.

Article VI is QUITE CLEAR on this matter:

"The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

Ignore the Constitution at your peril, America.  

Answer 10

Because most people are totally devoted to a single book, taking every single word in it for truth, and they won't chose someone who doesn't believe in this book.

Try not to think to hard about why Americans do what they do, they often do things that don't make sense.

Answer 11

You need to read the Constitution.  There is no such wording.  It is a lie most people have believed.  Neither do they read the Constitution, or their Bibles.

Answer 12

Because our Christians are cowards. They think that if someone with different beliefs gets elected to office it will be the end of civilization as they know it.

Answer 13

True!  Religion is important to Americans and we have two major religions in America. Christianity is one and Liberalism (atheism) is the other.

The separation of church and state is not part of the American Constitution but is found in the Constitution of the (former) USSR (article 50 something), Liberal (Marxist) Judges have found through their Liberal interpretations of our Constitution that the principles and ideology of the former Soviet Unions Constitution are somehow embeddeded in our Constitution.

The Treaty of Tripoli uses the word religion in the same way todays Americans now use the term denomination. America was not formed as a Baptist, Roman Catholic or Lutheran state but Article  7  of the American Constitution does acknowledge Jesus by saying ........in the year of our Lord.

May the demented syphiliticic mind of your Lord "Karl Marx" continue to confuse you

Answer 14

because this country was based on religious freedom and we fled the tyranny of England to have that freedom.  The separation of Church and State simply means the State will not tell you who to worship.

Answer 15

According to Article VI of the Constitution they don't.

Answer 16

I believe its because there are a lot of Christians out there that would just as soon transform our democracy into a theocracy if they could.  

Answer 17

Because we have some seriously crazy religious people here. :(

Thank goodness I live in California and not the Bible Belt!  

Answer 18

Because the people down there are nuts, that's why.

Answer 19

Because about 95% of the country claims to be a part of some religion and believes in some type of god.