There's a reason (with several ramifications) why presidential candidates play up their religious convictions.

82% of American adults believe in God. (Harris poll)

31% believe the Bible is the actual word of God, to be taken literally. 47% believe the Bible was "inspired by the word of God," whilst a mere 19% believe the Bible is a book of history, fables, and moral precepts recorded by man. (Gallup poll)

Then again, 34% of Americans believe in ghosts, and 23% say they have personally seen a ghost or felt its presence. 19% say they believe in spells or witchcraft. 14% say they've seen a UFO. (AP/Ipsos poll) [I've heard that Dennis Kucinich says he has seen a UFO. Does anyone know if that is an accurate report of him?]

The aspect that I find most troubling is the assumption that someone who does not believe in God (agnostic or atheist) cannot be an ethical, loving person. As if belief in the existence of an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent Sky Father were the sole required cause for ethical, compassionate behavior. The circular reasoning that an angry, vicious, unethical person does not really believe in God (and if he/she really believed in God, he/she would be good, kind and loving) doesn't convince me. That kind of reasoning does not compute.

God said it, I believe it, that settles it. [what intellectual and ethical indigence]!