Why can't most Christians understand the need for separation of religion and govt?

[KevinM1]

Well said, everyone. Minimalist.. Flaming assholes?

I guess I'm just surprised at how openly religiously theistic presidential candidates for the Republican Party are, this year. For that matter racist too. I feel like I'm watching a race that was held in the 1950s, not in the new millennium fgs! Are these candidates just completely off the mark with the population as a whole--by throwing any decorum of professionalism out the window and promising that they'll rule with gods iron fist-- or is the population as a whole like minded as well? I can't seem to rectify this blatant disregard for government and fairness, with the type of Christianity that I practiced. For instance if I were to have held a public office, I would have seen it as my Christian duty to serve in the best interest of my constituents and be unbiased despite what I believed personally (or religiously ) about an issue. Because honesty in ones work is valued in the eyes of god and such and such. Even the issue of abortion and contraception, which is a hot topic for Christians. I'm truly shocked that the one person most Christians believe to be the inerrant speaker for god (the Pope), is being ostracized by his own following for being honest about global warming. Who are these people who think they know better and how many of them are there and why has things in America especially become so radical and out-dated? Still looking for some Christian feedback on this one..

According to the numbers, the only denomination that's gaining members in the US are the evangelicals.  And they take a dim view of more moderate denominations, like Catholicism.

Regarding the presidential candidates, the Republicans have always been split between the money people (business interests, military industrial complex, prison industry) and the religious people.  Now, their interests intersect quite often, but the money people are smart enough to know that too much lunacy is bad for business.  God's nice and all, but money is real.  The problem is that the religious people took over the Tea Party.

A lot of people don't remember this, but the Tea Party started off as a libertarian astroturf movement by the Pauls and their allies to protest what they saw as government overreach with taxes in general and the bank bailouts in particular.  It was quickly co-opted by lunatic Christian conservatives, and they now basically exist only to try to make things like they were ~2000 years ago because they think biblical times were the bee's knees and the Federal government is evil by definition.

The Tea Party holds a disproportionate amount of power in the GOP.  They're shrill and militant, and their followers vote, period.  So, during this pre-primary phase, every conservative candidate pulls hard right in an attempt to appease the wackos.  And it generally backfires, because the majority of the country isn't like that, so the Republican candidate must attempt to move back towards the center, but in doing so, they appear disingenuous to both sides.  

It's hard to walk away from crazy.  The moderates think you're actually crazy and are trying to appear sane while the crazy think you were never crazy to begin with.  Mitt Romney is a classic example.  Yeah, he's Mormon, but he's fairly liberal compared to the Tea Party people.  His clumsy attempt to be all things to all people backfired.