Most of the great scriptures of the "world faiths" have a vision of shalom, peace, and reconciliation. So far so good; the vision inspires many in each faith community. That is the up side. The down side is that all the scriptures also have texts which distance the believers from others and almost all of them get linked with power, as in the state, and turn exclusive. So individual rights, such as freedom of speech, are not high on the agendas and usually are not envisioned or granted at all. We call this Christian power relation "Christendom."

Christians fought for their own freedom of speech and belief; so far good, for three centuries. In the fourth century they got linked with power, and until the 18th century some version or other of Christianity helped 'run the show" at the expense of others.

In the 18th century, a fortunate coincidence of Enlightenment thought, which advocates freedom of speech, and dissenting Christianity, which was seeking freedom and company, linked; its fruit we see in our nation in the First Amendment.

So, while i believe Judaism and Christianity have great liberating texts, it took thousands of years before these texts got reread and employed to enlarge the zones of free speech. There are still limits in some places where Christians dominate, but most Christians live with and help sustain freedom of speech.

I can't speak for and about all the other faiths--Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, etc., but I know that in general when they link with power they seek exclusive rights to airwaves and platforms. As for Islam: like Judaism and Christianity, its texts are ambiguous, on one page speaking up for the dignity and rights of all, including other People of the Book, and on many more pages, serving to squelch other voices.

Religions develop, and Judaism and Christianity, while drawing on ancient texts, keep evolving. In this sense, we could speak of arrested development in Islam. One wishes for it a multi-national experience of Enlightenment-style pushes for freedom. We don't hold our breath, but we can uphold those who want to see rights realized, against not all, but many odds in "Islamdom."

Three of the four major surviving candidates would "fight to a draw" on religious values and their use in campaigns.

Governor Huckabee is the exception. He is a Baptist minister, is "up front"' about his faith-commitments, definitely "uses" his religion to gain support and cannot not speak of it and, his opponents would say, exploit it.

As for the other three:

They are all more-or-less "standard brand" Protestants.

Senator Obama's is expressed with an African-American resonance that comes with his home church, Trinity United Church of Christ. He cannot not reflect the mantra of his church: "Aunashamedly Black/Unapologetically Christian.

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Is it a mark of the health or sickness of American religion that so many Americans have switched their religious affiliation in adult life or dropped out? The answer is "yes."

Before elaborating, let me say that both findings point to something that is almost inevitable in today's world, and that virtually all religious leaders are aware of the trends.

Now to separate the two issues:

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