I learned something from The News & Observer's Voters Guide in yesterday's paper: There are lots of Baptists hankering for public office in the Triangle and surrounding counties in the upcoming elections.

All told, 53 candidates identified their religious affiliation as Baptist when they submitted biographical forms to The N&O. That's a third of all the candidates running in Wake, Durham, Orange, Johnston and Chatham counties. Baptist political aspirants were followed, distantly, by Methodists (20), Catholics (14), Episcopalians (13) and Presbyterians (8). There were one Muslim, one Quaker and a smattering of folks of other faiths ranging from Lutheran to Unitarian.

I'll leave it to you to sort out the religious, political and sociological implications from the mix of faiths represented on the ballots Tuesday. But to some people, it's none of your -- or The N&O's -- business.

The newspaper has been collecting and publishing candidates' religious affiliation for as many years as anyone around here can remember, without much objection - until recent years. After The N&O published its Oct. 8 Voters Guide for the primary elections, the paper received several letters to the editor protesting the religion question. The issue sparked a spirited discussion at the most recent meeting of the Community Panel, a group of readers who meet here monthly to discuss and critique the paper.

"You shouldn't be judging people by their religion. It should not be an important factor," said Jessie Cannon of Raleigh. She noted that faith-based groups nationally and locally have become increasingly active in pursuing religious agendas in public policy. "I think you're just playing up to that by putting in religion."

Floyd Whitney of Chapel Hill, on the other hand, thought the religion identification was just fine. "I think The N&O needs to keep doing it," he said. "That's part of the culture in the South."

Why does the paper include religious affiliation in candidate profiles? Metro Editor Van Denton says it's just one of a number of identifying characteristics that, he says, help voters shape their opinions about candidates before they go into the voting booth. The Voters Guide also asks about political heroes, favorite movies and party affiliation, in addition to demographic info such as age and education.

Denton said editors wrestled with the religion question and came down on the side of giving readers more information rather than less. "I think many readers like having this information to help them make their decision," Denton said. If you're a voter for whom religion is important, "you might want to know that information. If you could care less about that, then you can disregard it."

That was pretty much the perspective of one member of the clergy to whom I talked. "That someone has a faith is an important factor, because I think people of faith have a way of looking at the world that is more similar to mine," said the Rev. Diane Amidon, pastor of St. Philip Lutheran Church in Raleigh. But she said religion would not be the deciding factor for her in choosing a candidate. "I would vote for a candidate who has a political record that is similar to my viewpoint politically over someone who has my religious viewpoint."

Of the 159 candidates in the Voters Guide, 12 declined to give their religious affiliation, some vehemently. "I am religious, but as I am also a firm believer in the separation of church and state, I feel this is inappropriate in a political bio," wrote Chapel Hill Town Council candidate Robin Cutson. Richard Voller, candidate for mayor of Pittsboro, was at the other end of the scale. He listed "many" as his religious affiliations and cited Jesus as his political hero. "He was a political revolutionary," Voller told me.

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