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Originally Posted by matthew  Neither a candidate's race nor his religion would affect my vote |
That's like saying being an evolutionist doesn't affect your views on science or being a cubs fan doesn't affect what sports channels you watch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by matthew What attracts me are people who stand for ideas without wavering from them, specifically the same ideas that I like. I have trouble finding people to vote for. |
Exactly. And I probably wouldn't vote for someone in my philosophical position -- because I wouldn't really want to see an agnostic of my indecisive flavor in office -- but that doesn't mean his religion won't affect what decisions he makes. I
will be attracted to vote for someone with similar values to me, and values are generally very closely tied to religion (Else partisanship).
Thus religion
does affect my vote, but indirectly. It's not "I'll vote for this guy because he's a _______," it's "I'll vote for this guy because I like what he stands for, even it that happens to be because he's a ________."
If a politician's religion has no effect on his choices (Outside of flowery speeches), then it's not really his religion and world view, it's just a misnomered tradition (And it usually is).
SigmaX