Decided to answer my own question about the religions of the ’08 presidential candidates and found the following compilation from the Associated Press on the Nashua (NH) Telegraph‘s website:
DEMOCRATS
Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden: Roman Catholic
New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Methodist
Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd: Catholic
Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards: Methodist
Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Catholic
Illinois Sen. Barack Obama: Christian
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson: Catholic
REPUBLICANS
Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback: Catholic
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani: Catholic
California Rep. Duncan Hunter: Baptist
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee: Southern Baptist
Arizona Sen. John McCain: Episcopalian [note: since then he has said he is Baptist]
Texas Rep. Ron Paul: Baptist
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney: Mormon
Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo: Presbyterian
Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson: Southern Baptist
Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson: Catholic
As a candidate for public office, it’s probably very impolitic to admit you’re an atheist; it would have been headline news. Still, I was hoping there might be one in there somewhere. It would have brightened (no pun intended) my day.
Hmm, I just noticed they left Democrat Mike Gravel, former Senator from Alaska, off the list.
9/24 Note: Gravel is a Unitarian. Tommy Thompson has dropped out of the race.
The designations are what the candidates themselves said in answer to a question from the AP. Notice Obama thought “Christian” was an adequate answer. Perhaps he was thinking as you do, that the specific denomination doesn’t matter.
I understand a lot of Christians think that Romney, a Mormon, is not a Christian.
A good Golden Rule for atheists, or anyone else, might be something like… Good character is demonstrated by what you do, period.
If a candidate really upholds the Constitution, I hope it doesn’t matter what the listed religion is. I think the federal government should stay out of personal moral decisions.
I appreciate your list, but aren’t all the listed religions Christian anyway? Does each kind of Christianity of a different Golden Rule?
Would the Atheist Golden Rule be something like… Good character is demonstrated by what you do when no one is looking.
What a shame that none of them refused to answer on the grounds that their personal religion is irrelevant to their ability to serve their country.
It does worry me when a leader goes to war and claims that God actually spoke to him to say that it was the right thing to do. I mean if I heard voices telling me to kill people I’m pretty sure I’d end up in an asylum.