The stats in the United States of America is that 91% of Americans believe in a God or supreme deity (include me).

And a whopping 64% of Americans do not believe in evolution (include me).

So the question is does belief matter to you when you vote, (hinting at Presidency).

Over 60% of Americans (poll) said they would not vote for an atheist based strictly on the fact the person does not believe in a God.

So the question is if you had a theist-Candidate and a atheist-Candidate would their beliefs regarding religion matter at all in your vote?

America is a highly religious country, and has been since its earliest days. Nearly every religion in the world has adherents or organized institutions in the United States. American religious institutions are large, powerful and influential in social and political life. Even Americans who are members of no established religion are likely to believe in God. According to a Gallup opinion survey, nearly all Americans, 98% of them, do, compared to 84% in Switzerland, 73% in France and 60% in Sweden. Americans also tend to believe in life after death: 73% compared to 50% in Switzerland and only 38% in Great Britain. About 60% of Americans are members of a church, synagogue or other religious group, though many more identify with various religions because of their birth or upbringing. About 40% of Americans attend religious services regularly, compared to only 20% in Great Britain.

According to a 2002 survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, the U.S. was the only developed nation in the survey where a majority of citizens reported that religion plays a "very important" role in their lives..

The phrase "In God We Trust" is inscribed on U.S. currency and the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance says that the U.S. is "one nation under God." Various polls have been conducted to determine Americans' actual beliefs regarding God:

A 2006 CBS News Poll of 899 U.S. adults found that 82% of those surveyed believed in God, while 9% believed in "some other universal spirit or higher power," 8% believed in neither, and 1% were unsure.

A 2004 Newsweek Poll of 1,009 U.S. adults, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates, found that 82% of those surveyed believed that Jesus was God or the Son of God.

Gallup International indicates that 41%[4] of American citizens report they regularly attend religious services, compared to 15% of French citizens, 7% of UK citizens, and 25% of Israeli citizens.

Every President, with the exception of John F. Kennedy (a Roman Catholic), was raised in a family with affiliations with Protestant Christianity. However, many presidents have themselves had only a nominal affiliation with Protestant churches. Several early holders of the office were Deists, with at least four presidents being Unitarians, and several, such as Thomas Jefferson, having no formal affiliation at all.

In the 2004 Presidential election, George W. Bush, a Methodist, earned a slim but clear victory over John Kerry, with the majority of Bush supporters calling for moral values largely based on religious belief

64% of Americans do not believe in evolution, 60% believe in Creationism, and 52% want to see Creationism taught in school.

   

...and the US has done very well for itself despite their backwards beliefs.

   

WMG, you want to post that 64% figure from a poll?

   

The stat was stated on Today's episode of The View

Mrs. Elisabeth Hasslebeck contributed the stat on the lady's HOT TOPICS segment at the beginning of the show.

Other co-hosts were Sherri Shepherd, Joy Behar, and Barbara Walters.

The View airs on ABC at 11 ET/PT and 10 CT

   

Alexis de Tocqueville, the author of Democracy in America, would disagree with you. In his definitive study of the US he noted that it was the undercurrent of religious life in America that abetted our success as a nation. I doubt you'll read the book, but if you wish to pontificate on this subject then you really owe it to yourself to be informed.

As we have become more and more secular crime rates have soared, divorce rates have soared, literacy rates have declined, drug use has soared, prostitution has soared, single-parent families have increased from unnoticeable in the 1950's to now more than half of American households.

Sorry, we were just fine as a Christian nation and there have been no improvements to society as a whole with the advent of militant secularization.

   

My two cents: Those who believe in nothing fall for anything usually Socialist Dogma of a utopia Police State. I'd rather be governed by Christians than Muslims.

   

Gee, what was I thinking - I had a few key improvements in mind, but I guess they're not as noteworthy as I'd thought. Not enough to outweigh an increase in divorce, anyway.

   

Oh yeah? Then explain all the Christians who jumped into bed with the Nazi's.

As to the question at hand, a person's religion doesn't factor in to me when I vote (except if they were to say they believed in Scientology).

Maybe it's my inner cynic, but I've always been suspicious of a politician's public expressions of faith.

"Do you believe in Jesus?"
"Of course I do."

It's an easy lie to tell, though I'm sure most politicians who say they are Christians do truly believe in God nonetheless.

As for religion in politics, it's not always a bad thing. There are many examples throughout history of religious practitioners affecting a positive change on society from Samuel Wilberforce to the social reformers in the 20's and 30's in the US and the Social Gospel theology they believed.

   

So faith in politics will result in the Tommy Douglas's taking power? Guess that means Obama for 2008.

   

Drug use increased folloing prohibition, crime rate soared folloing drug prohibition including 90% of property theft. i can't say for prositution except that it has always exhisted and is legal in most of Nevada. Finally divorce rate have increased but this often leads to happier families and if you compared single families to 1900-1940 you would find that the number is the same with the a low in the 1950's.

   

Sigh, you are aware that the Arab Muslim leaders had a direct hand in advising Hitler on what to do with the JEWS right? Religion isn't a factor in how I vote either, if I had my way Canada would re-think "Freedom of Religion" because most fanatical religions persecute women and children and it's the males that have all the glory and power. Given a choice I would never live in a Religiously Zealous country unless it was Christian.

   

Freedom of Religion began with the Dutch follwed by the Americans

   

That's news to me.

   

Same here. I have a hard time believing Hitler actually listened to dark-skinned people. IF he had, then it would only have been to find another way to stick it to the British.

   

Ditto. Also, let's look at how he used/exploited/murdered a whole lotta brown people in Egypt and the Holy Land. Hitler merely carried on the proud European tradition at the time of fucking over brown people.