As a foreigner, I find it astonishing that religion plays such a large part [View all]

[mr blur]

in the US electoral process.

Here in the UK no politician would campaign on a religious platform. I can't think of any politician here who has even mentioned religion as a way of getting votes. As the slimy Tony Blair said, if you go on about religion in the UK, people will "think you're a nutter". Yet in the US it seems to be expected that you must have "faith" and should tell us all about it, to the extent of formulating policy based on it.

Of course we have religious loonies/extremists here too, but none of them ever runs for Prime Minister and wouldn't get very far if they did.

I have no idea (nor interest in) what faiths our leading politicians might follow, apart from the Deputy Prime Minister who, in answer to a direct question, described himself as "not a man of faith" (although he then spoiled the moment by adding, "...but my wife is".)

Of course The Fool Cameron recently described Britain as "a Christian country" but that was as much of a sop to his Daily Mail fanbase as anything else.

Do people of faith in the US feel it important to hear about such things from those who want to be President?