Obama talks about faith:

FORT DODGE — Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama insisted Saturday that religious faith can play a central role in politics, but only if it’s used to tackle moral issues and not to divide the nation.

Moral issues like stem cell research, gay marriage, and abortion? Nope, not divisive at all there.

“But somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together and started being used to drive us apart. It got hijacked,” Obama said, drawing applause from the delegates. “Part of it is because the so-called leaders of the Christian right are all too eager to exploit what divides us.”

I remember that time, when religion wasn’t divisive. It was tens of thousands of years ago and we weren’t very bright. It was a simpler time.

I realize I’m going to have to put up with this no matter what the candidate, but it’s annoying. At least the moral issues Obama wants to focus on aren’t asinine concerns like “stem cells are people!” but making everything a moral issue to be decided on the basis of one’s religion is dangerous.