I have heard people say they won't vote for Barack Obama because he went to a Muslim school, and others say they wouldn't vote for Mitt Romney because he is a Mormon. I don't know who I am going to vote for, but those won't be my reasons for withholding my vote. Religious beliefs do, and should, influence how leaders govern. However, not everyone within a particular faith interprets those beliefs into action in the same way. It was not okay to withhold a vote for John Kennedy because he was Catholic, or Joe Leiberman because he's Jewish. Nor is it okay to vote for them for that reason only. It might be easier to use blanket criteria to judge - but it doesn't get us the best candidate. And, it is not the American way. Everyone has a right to aspire to any position in this country. We have a responsibility to listen to what they say, see how they act and try to discern who will be the best for the job. It may be that we decide we don't like the way they interpret their beliefs, but the mere fact they belong to a particular faith is not good enough.