Religion, Economics and the Race for President : Politics: Most Americans surveyed believe that a candidate’s approach to the economy is more important than spiritual views. But the two issues may not be as separate as they appear.

A survey finds most Americans feel a presidential candidate’s approach to the economy is more important than his religious views, but the distinction may not be what it seems.

Religious leaders regularly insist that religious teachings are directly relevant to economics, a point that was emphasized in the survey’s findings.

“Economics are profoundly a religious issue,” said the Rev. Tex Sample, a United Methodist of St. Paul’s School of Theology in Kansas City, Mo. “My faith teaches me to pray for daily bread,” he said.

Rabbi David Saperstein of Washington, co-director of the Religion Action Center of Reform Judaism, said economics poses the “moral test of what is done to the least of us”--the deprived, hungry and homeless.

“Where we put our resources tells what kind of nation we are morally,” said Barbara Reynolds, a Pentecostal and columnist for USA Today.

The comments came from a panel of religious experts recently in a telecast about the role of religion in the presidential race that aired on VISN, the Vision Interfaith Satellite Network.

The mixture of religion and politics surfaced in other findings of the survey, which was sponsored by the network in association with Religious News Service.

Sixty-nine percent said they could not vote for a presidential candidate who didn’t believe in God. Only 28% said they could and the rest were not sure.

Of those considering belief a prerequisite, 38% favored President Bush, while 36% favored Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton. But among those not insisting on belief, Clinton led 57% to 18%.

Although the Constitution forbids any test for public office, church historian Martin Marty of the University of Chicago said that “in America’s heart there seems to be some of that”--insistence on belief.

The Rev. James Wall, editor of an ecumenical weekly, Christian Century, agreed. “Given the nature of the country’s spiritual concerns, people don’t want to elect someone without spiritual values,” he said.

Bush, a Republican, is an active Episcopalian. Clinton, a Democrat, is a Southern Baptist, and independent Ross Perot is Presbyterian.

The survey of 718 registered voters, made by the opinion research firm of Blum & Weprim, with an error margin of four percentage points, found that 74% put the economy ahead of religion in determining how they would vote.

Only 10% put religion first. Yet a majority--51%--said it was important for the candidate to support prayer in public schools. Only 10% disagreed, while 37% said it was not an issue.

The “biggest mistake was kicking God out of the schools,” Reynolds said. She said drugs and violence are rampant in schools, but school administrations forbid open prayer.

Bush wants a constitutional amendment allowing school prayer; other candidates don’t.

On abortion, 17% said they wouldn’t vote for Bush because of his anti-abortion stance. Twelve percent said they wouldn’t vote for Clinton because of his pro-choice stand. Sixty percent said their votes would not be affected by the issue, and the remainder were unsure.

The survey taken Oct. 8-9, gave Clinton an overall 11% lead over Bush.

Though Bush has particularly courted conservative evangelicals (those who believe the Bible word for word), they were found almost evenly divided between Bush, 36%, and Clinton, 37%.

The Rev. Andrew Greeley, University of Chicago priest-sociologist and opinion researcher, said the purported rise of conservative evangelicals as a Republican political force “just isn’t there.”

“Clinton is doing very well among evangelicals,” he added.

The survey also found voters almost evenly split on which candidate would do most to support family values--38% said Clinton, while 35% said Bush. Six percent named Perot.

Voters also were about evenly split on what they saw as the greatest threat to the family, with 49% naming economic recession and 42% blaming changed lifestyles.

“Family stability flies with the economy,” Sample said, stressing the connection. “Families are importantly shaped by finances.”