Just came back from a great trip to the west coast and for the flight there picked up some reading material. One magazine that sparked my interest was Newsweek. On the cover was a photo of Barack Obama looking deep in prayer with the headline, Faith and Politics: What He Believes. That made me think, why is it important for us to know what a presidential candidate believes and his relationship with God? For one thing there are misconceptions. For instance, with Barack Obama 12% of voters believe he is a Muslim and more than a quarter believe he was raised in a Muslim home. Both of which are incorrect.

Our faith and values are an important part of who we are. Understanding a presidential candidate's beliefs helps us to better know the man or woman. Barack Obama is still reticent to discuss what he really believes, afraid of offending potential backers. We should openly hear and speak about religion and faith, without proselytizing.

By hearing well-known public figures speak about their religion, we not only learn, if it differs from our own, but can be inspired in seeing that we all have the same questions about the meaning of life...