Who will be the next president?

We are just over a year from the next presidential election, and I am cringing at the potential answer to that question.  Will Obama be re-elected? Or will he be replaced by a Republican? I don't know, and after last night's Republican debate I have no idea who should be the next Republican candidate.

I have blogged before about the fact that I am a Christian.  I have no reason to keep that a secret.  And I freely admit that being a Christian influences the decisions I make every day.  If I were ever to be elected for a political office, my Christian background would influence my decisions and actions.  Surely that would be true for any one else who claims a religions background.  In fact, if someone is truly a Christian, Mormon, Muslim, or whatever, how can that person's religious background not be an inlfuence?

I bring this up because I am shocked by something Mitt Romney said during last night's debate.  He basically stated that a candidate's religion should not be a factor when people decide who to vote for.  (A copy of the exact quote can be found HERE ~ It's from a CNN article, and the quote is toward the bottom.) 

My head is still spinning! So per Romney's statement, my decision to vote for him, or not to, should not be influenced by the fact that he's a Mormon.  Well I can guarnatee this: A candidate's religious affiliation definitely is something I consider while deciding how to cast my vote.  According to Romney, people who allow a candidate's religion to determine how those people vote are straying from the intention of the Constitution.  What? Has he read the Constitution? Does he know anything about our Founding Fathers? The men who wrote our Constiution were influenced by their religious affiliation.  There can be no doubt about that! Does the Constitution guarantee that every person has the right to freely worship as they see fit? Absolutely.  But I don't think our Founding Fathers would agree that people should not let a candidate's religion determine how they cast their votes.

Quite frankly, I am apalled and disheartened.  So who will I vote for? Not Romney!