[Wombat101]

"The views of the Founders are what are in need of restoration."

Thank you,once again, for the history lesson (p.s. I hold a Master's in history, so it's wholly unneccessary, but it is interesting to see where you're coming from).

Again, I don't disagree, but you still haven't answered the question; at what point are religion and politics separated?
Perhaps that's a question that cannot be adequately answered (taking human nature into account), but I find many unwilling to even make the attempt to work it out for themselves.

[Wallace T.]

I hold to the doctrine of sphere sovereignty, developed by the Dutch Calvinist theologian and political leader Abraham Kuyper. Kuyper was an important influence on Francis Schaffer, American Presbyterian writer and theologian, whose writings were a major influence on the first wave of evangelical Christian leaders in the 1970s and 1980s. Wikipedia defines sphere sovereignty as "each sphere of life has its own distinct responsibilities and authority or competence, and stands equal to other spheres of life. Sphere sovereignty is an idea that God created new order and that everything is under the sphere of God's control. This includes education, the Church, the State, agriculture, economic enterprises, the family, and the arts. It insists that creational boundaries, and historical differentiation, be affirmed and respected."

This obviously means separation of the institutional church from the state. It does not mean that Christians, or anyone else, is obliged to check his moral principals at the door when he votes or runs for public office. Political decisions are not made in a moral vacuum, irrespective of the political system or the prevalent philosophy of the time. A "value free" or pragmatic governing philosophy itself represents a value judgment.