I’ve been preoccupied with the Cyprus disaster — that’s where my family is from, where I was traveling last month — and some stories I’m working on, so please excuse the blogging delays.

There’s been plenty of headlines lately concerning the beliefs of our Republican presidential contenders. I always find this trend ironic, given the American concept of separation of church and state — sure, it’s not in the U.S. Constitution as such (although religious freedom could be interpreted that way), but it’s a principle that dates back to our founding fathers and has represented us around the world. Even the Dalai Lama has gotten on board!

But, it seems that you can’t be a viable presidential candidate without the right Christian bonafides — who can forget all the coverage of Obama’s faith, first regarding his relationship with Pastor Jeremiah Wright, then on whether he’s some kind of secret Muslim, and eternally which church he drops by on Sundays and holidays? Now his 2012 opponents, and their families, are under the microscope:

• Christian Right Leaders Rally Behind Rick Perry (TIME)
• Michele Bachmann’s Husband Shares Her Strong Conservative Values (Washington Post)
• Latter-Day President (American Conservative)
• Gingrich Woos Skeptical Evangelical Voters (USA Today)
• Rick Santorum Announces, and Catholic Vote is Seen as Key (Catholic News Agency)

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.