Religion has become a motivating force since John F. Kennedy’s election as the first Catholic president, and political heavyweights in Iowa and on campus say this election is just as fueled by religious issues.

One reason for the recent focus on the relationship between religion and politics is the president’s evangelical Christian faith, which is shared by most Republicans, said Gordon Fischer, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party.

“To some degree, the Christian Coalition has been successful at making its issues the top religious issues,” Fischer said. “I reject the idea that talking about religious issues means talking about just their issues, because there are a lot of religious Democrats whose issues are better health care, racial equality and reducing poverty.”

Religion can motivate people to discuss important political issues, but what they end up discussing are the Christian Coalition’s issues, such as abortion and gay marriage, Fischer said. Democrats have very different religious issues from the Christian Coalition, and their issues also need to be discussed, he said.

It’s not realistic to ask people to completely separate their religious beliefs from their political decisions, but the relationship between the two needs to be minimized so people with different beliefs aren’t excluded, said Drew Miller, treasurer for Cyclones for Dean.

“You should love your neighbor the way you love yourself,” Miller said. “When you start trying to move away from that core principle of Christianity, then you get into situations where you’re allowing hate to rule your beliefs instead of love.”

The relationship between religion and politics in America is further complicated by Supreme Court rulings deciding what is considered right and wrong, said Cara Harris, vice president of Students for Edwards. An example is the recent ruling in Massachusetts giving gay couples the option of enjoying the same rights as traditional married couples, she said.

“The issue of homosexuality is both a legal and moral issue concerning equal rights,” Harris said. “There are people who believe in the immorality of the act, and then there are people who believe in the fundamental rights of love and companionship.”

The issue of gay marriage might not have much of an impact on the 2004 election, Fischer said. It was the Massachusetts Supreme Court that forced the issue, not Sen. John Kerry, he said.

“I think that John Kerry has the same position as Vice President Dick Cheney regarding the issue of gay marriage,” Fischer said. “It will be difficult for the Republicans to use gay marriage as a wedge issue, which would risk making Bush appear intolerant, because most people are actually quite tolerant when it comes to equal rights.”

Another reason religion has become a focus in the 2004 election is Catholics are considered to be swing votes, and their voting behavior will depend on which candidate is nominated by the Democratic Party, Fischer said. It’s hard for candidates who aren’t Catholic to appeal to Catholics, because they’re divided among themselves over important religious issues, such as abortion and gay marriage, he said.

“Kennedy received a majority of the Catholic vote, so it would be interesting to see if John Kerry, who is Catholic, could have the same response in this election,” Fischer said.

Catholics could end up being a very influential religious group if John Kerry becomes the Democratic nominee, he said.