For many years, members of the Republican Party have been trying to bring the issue of religion to the forefront of American politics, and with Sen. Rick Santorum running for election, the issue has once again arose.

Santorum and other members of the Republican Party have said this nation was created as a Christian state and religious views should be a part of political life.

There are fundamental problems in thinking that this nation was created as a Christian state, with the founders being at heart Christians.

Thomas Jefferson said in a letter to Danbury Baptist Association, “I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declare that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise therof,’ thus building a wall of separation between church and state.”

A passage in the Treaty of Tipoli signed in 1797 by former President John Adams states, “As the Government of the U.S. is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.”

But if the U.S. had been created as a Christian state then the founders were breaking some very iron clad rules laid down in the Bible.

In first Samuel 15:23 it states: “For rebellion as is the sin of witchcraft.”

If this nation was created as a Christian state, I do not believe that the founding fathers would have wanted to commit an act of witchcraft.

The espousal Peter said in the book of Romans 13:1: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from god, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resist authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

After reading these passages, one is left to wonder if the founders where truly as religious as Santorum claims.

Religion, while a great thing in ones personal life, has no place in politics.

Decisions that one makes when regarding a state should be made simply in accordance with what is good for the nation, not good for ones religious views.

With the tensions in the Middle East close to a boil, the last thing that we as a country need is for someone in political power to start a holy war. After all, more people have been killed in the name of god than any other singular reason.

We need someone in the position of power that will be able to set his personal view aside and realize that sometimes peace with a Muslim country is the best course of action, even if it goes against ones religious views.

Santorum has said he cannot make a distinction between his faith and his position of leadership. Furthermore, Santorum has stated he “almost threw up” when reading former President John F. Kennedy’s speech about religion and politics.

While Santorum has said he wishes he could take back the commits he made about Kennedy’s great speech, he was quick to add in comments made to ABC’s show “This Week,”  “I don’t believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute.”

Santorum needs to realize that religion has no part in politics —  it can cloud a leaders judgment and make him act in a way that hurts his country.

Christopher Lauritsen is a political reporter at The Oakland Post. Contact him via email at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @ChrisLaurtsen