I don't think religion is really the issue. The problem is legislation that forbids people from doing things that don't hurt anybody. There's no reason such laws need to be religiously motivated, but in practice, they almost always are.
Aha I agree with that. Yeah, in practice, most of them are. I'm aware of that, but it should be irrelevant when we look at the law...it's either a fair law or it isn't. I find it strange to dismiss a politician because he's got a religious agenda and not another politician who has a non-religious agenda- they're both still agendas, and they are both likely to have serious flaws. "Don't bring your beliefs into politics" is something I've also heard said many times and it baffles me. What else can one bring?
There's also another sense to the statement; namely that I will be polite with respect to your religious beliefs until you start using them to hurt me, at which point you're going to find out how I really feel.
And I agree with that also, but I'd even drop the word 'religious' because the sentence implies that only religious people are capable of beliefs that hurt others.
Or maybe I'm just annoyed with non-religious people (not here specifically, just a personal experience of mine) suggesting that following a religion, most often Christianity, precludes people from making rational or moral decisions. No, I am not a blind sheep. Yes, I think for myself. Yes, I believe in a God, and that does not make me stupid.
Being religious is a complicated thing, but Jesus doesn't eat half your brain when you subscribe.