From Joe Lieberman’s public profession of Jewish faith to George W. Bush’s selection of Jesus Christ as the philosopher who has most influenced his life, religious faith has been a front-and-center issue in this year’s presidential campaign. But Miss-Lou residents, including some area church leaders, said a candidate’s words do not mean as much as his actions.

&uot;People are frustrated with (politicians) professing their faith and then going out and being corrupt,&uot; said the Rev. Ron Stoker, pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church and head of the Natchez Ministerial Alliance.

Debbie Sullivan, a stay-at-home mom in Natchez and wife of a local minster, feels that frustration almost every time she turns on the television.

Comparing elections to dating and marriage, Sullivan said the candidates seem attractive during the campaign, but once voters are &uot;married&uot; to them politically, the &uot;real person comes out.&uot;

&uot;Right now, it’s just lip service,&uot; Sullivan said. &uot;I want to see the real person (before I vote). Is he even in there?&uot;

In looking for the &uot;real person,&uot; many voters said they place much emphasis on a candidate’s religious faith.

&uot;(A candidate’s faith) matters to me because I believe in the Lord, and I believe that if a person is a strong believer, that helps him or her make the important decisions,&uot; said Brenda Harris, who works as a juvenile officer for the Ferriday (La.) Police Department.

&uot;It does make a difference, because it speaks to his character and hopefully will affect the way he views the issues,&uot; said the Rev. Charles Bartley of Natchez, who pastors Ebenezer Baptist Church in Yazoo City. &uot;I would be very uncomfortable voting for a candidate who expresses no religious convictions.&uot;

Faith, no matter the religion or denomination, is important because it has a positive effect on a person’s actions and decisions, said the Rev. Freddie Schiele, pastor of Mercy Seat Baptist Church and head of Ferriday’s Ministerial Alliance.

&uot;It doesn’t matter what faith, as long as it is faith in God,&uot; Schiele said. &uot;But I feel that a person should have faith in God in any endeavor and put Him first in whatever he does, especially in the political field.&uot;

&uot;For me, it’s important that a person has a belief system,&uot; said Charlotte White, a Ferriday retiree. &uot;I would want somebody in (office) who has a strong faith as opposed to someone who has very little, and it does not matter to me what that particular faith is.&uot;

But what about separation of church and state?

&uot;Separation of church and state refers to establishment of religion by the government, not (isolation) of religion from the rest of life,&uot; Rev. Billy Johnson, pastor at Pine Ridge Presbyterian Church, said. &uot;The founding fathers would be astounded to see how that has happened.&uot;

Bill Slatter, a retiree in Natchez, said he does not see religion as a dominant issue in this year’s campaign, and he hopes that such faith will not overly influence the next president’s governing of the country.

&uot;If (a candidate) were to say religion holds a dominant place in his life, I would be inclined to hold that against him,&uot; Slatter said. &uot;If that is privately important to him, that’s fine, but if it begins to affect how he looks at governing, it begins to get into separation of church and state. I don’t want candidates going around talking about religion, although it is their business what they believe in.&uot;

Mark I. Greenberg, historian at the Museum of Southern Jewish Experience, said a candidate’s religious faith tells voters more about &uot;who they are as a person, rather than who they are as a candidate.&uot;

&uot;(Joe Leiberman) has managed to show you can be a religious person without mixing church and state,&uot; Greenberg said.

Others, like Johnson, said religious faith is not something a person can, or should, isolate from the rest of his life.

Joyce Arceneaux, Natchez alderwoman and member of the local Democratic party, agreed. Religion and spirituality are inseparable from a person’s character, she said.

&uot;When you get down to the particular person that person is going to bring with him or her the environment they were brought up in,&uot; Arceneaux said, adding that includes religion. &uot;Of course, that’s going to color the way they look at the law.&uot;

&uot;I don’t know how you can separate it out,&uot; said Pat Dickens, chairperson of the Adams County Republican Executive Committee. &uot;But I wish it didn’t have to be so political.&uot;

And it may not be a political issue as much as a character issue for voters, especially those in the South.

Neil Varnell, a retired psychologist in Natchez, said the South’s traditional emphasis on religious faith affects every aspect of Southerner’s lives.

&uot;They view the world through that filter,&uot; Varnell said.

Historically, Southern Christianity is conservative and permeates more areas of an individual’s life.

&uot;With more conservative Christianity, people tend to apply it to broader aspects of their life,&uot; he said. &uot;It becomes more a part of their everyday thought.&uot;

&uot;(Religion) is almost a way of life for people in the South,&uot; Dickens said. &uot;It’s part of our moral fiber.&uot;

Rep. Andrew Ketchings said he predicts the candidates’ belief systems will be an important factor in who Southerners choose in November.

&uot;It may not be the defining issue (for Southerners), but it does play a role,&uot; said.

But, faith as an issue may not be a new phenomenon as much as a return to the past, some voters said.

Charlotte White, Vidalia retiree, recalled John F. Kennedy’s Catholic faith as a point of debate in the 1960 presidential campaign.

&uot;I remember thinking what a terrible thing that was for people to be upset about,&uot; White said.

&uot;People thought that would be a hurdle to JFK, and people speculate whether that will matter now,&uot; said Slatter, referring to Lieberman’s Jewish faith.

More recently, Jimmy Carter brought the term &uot;born again&uot; into national use in 1976 when he used it to describe his religious conversion, and the influence of the Christian Right helped Ronald Reagan win the presidency in 1980 and 1984, Bartley pointed out.

&uot;But it has been a growing trend, … and (Bush and Lieberman’s) statements have elevated it to a level of prominence this year,&uot; he added.

Dr. Joseph Parker, a political science professor at the University of Southern Mississippi said recent expressions of religion by candidates probably have less to do with faith than with backlash against President Clinton’s scandals.

&uot;There’s the issue of restoring a role model with moral values in the White House, and if one party (embraces that issue), the other has to do it, too,&uot; Parker said. &uot;In order to win the nomination, you have appeal to religious voters.&uot;

One example, Parker said, is that when Bush named Jesus Christ as his greatest philosophical influence, he did so at an appearance in Iowa, a deeply religious state.

Although it is difficult to pinpoint all the reasons a vice-presidential candidate is named, Lieberman’s religious appeal and conservativism were certainly factors, &uot;and the fact that Lieberman was one of the first to denounce Clinton’s actions helps (Al) Gore distance himself from Clinton.&uot;

The possibility of candidates using expressions of faith as a political tactic has not escaped some religious voters.

&uot;Are they really Christians, or are they just using this to get to the Christian community?&uot; Sullivan said she wonders.

Other local political leaders are more optimistic of the candidates’ motives.

&uot;I wouldn’t want to say they are using religion to play politics,&uot; Dickens said.

&uot;It’s not the old Clinton morality, but the morality of people standing up for what they believe in,&uot;she said.

Ketchings said he is tired of politicians favoring &uot;style over substance&uot; and hopes the candidates’ words are heart-felt, not just bait for votes.

&uot;Maybe it’s just me being idealistic, but I’d like to think so,&uot; Ketchings said.

Arceneaux, Natchez supervisor and member of the local Democratic party, said candidates are seeking to relate with their voters in many ways, including spirituality.

&uot;It’s a very close election and both are trying to demonstrate they are mainstream Americans,&uot; Arceneaux said.