Mixing Religion with Politics

My Grandfather often said that "mixing religion with politics is like lighting your cigar with a Molotov cocktail." The more I have been involved in politics the more this axiom holds true. Mormons across the nation, both Democrats and Republicans, were outraged when Mike Huckabee tried to submarine Mitt Romney by attacking his religion. It was called blatant religious prejudice. I agree. Tearing down a candidate because of his religion is deplorable.Now, in a Salt Lake Tribune article by Thomas Burr, Democrats have "charged Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin as a 'devout member of an anti-Mormon denomination' and questioned whether LDS faithful should vote for her." Is that also religious bigotry, and if so, isn't it just as deplorable as Huckabee's?Where are Utah County Democrats on this? It is evident by reading Utah County Democrats' literature that they would much rather be counted in as good standing members of the Mormon faith than being known as Democrats. While you rarely see the word "Democrat" or the donkey symbol on their campaign material, they do state boldly they are practicing Mormons; that they hold high church callings or they have served missions for the church. Religion can be a mixed bag, but in my opinion it has no place in political dialogue. Matt Holland has the right idea. In his new book Bonds of Affection: Civic Charity and the Making of America, he thoughtfully shows how this nation was formed on the pedestal of civic charity. It is not what or who we worship, how frequently we worship, or whether we worship at all. What matters is our care and concern for our fellow men, as well as for the nation we’ve established. John Winthrop, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, each an integral player in some of the most defining moments of our country, were all too aware of the need for love, charity, and compassion. This should be the standard of political objective, not a bi-partison war over religious practice.