Faith is a central tenant in the lives of many people, including many of the the candidates we see running for president today, and voters have every right to be curious and inquire about the faith of their favorite political candidates. But each candidate’s faith should be “modeled” and “owned” by the candidate.

It should be a natural part of their total life experience. Faith should never be waved around in place of real character or real solutions. It should never be used as a substitute for honest discussion of ideas in a political campaign. Instead, faith in politics can be best seen in the ethical ways candidates conduct themselves when the cameras are off, and in the policies they propose to help society's most needy as well as they serve the public interests, not the special interest.

Oh, and one more thing: every religious tradition on planet earth suggests that God cares about ending poverty, healing the earth and peacefully living together as brothers and sisters. Perhaps all candidates should have their faith statements judged by how effectively they work for PEACE, ENDING POVERTY AND CARING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.