In America, we need religious pluralism and a separation of church and state and religion and politics. The troubles that Gov. Romney now faces based on his religious beliefs stem from the fact that Republican primary voters (mostly evangelicals) demand that Republican presidential candidates publicly and loudly confess their religious beliefs so that those beliefs can be measured against the approved brand of Christian doctrine. A candidate's failure to wear his religious beliefs on his sleeve risks political isolation and rejection. Unfortunately, the Republican "big tent" has become a revival tent. Gov. Romney decided to play this game by making his "Faith in America" speech. By doing so, he has handed the evangelical extremists and his fellow presidential candidates a can of worms and a can opener. Gov. Romney can hardly make faith and religion a public issue and then play the victim and refuse to answer the questions in the very public debate that he started. If Gov. Romney is rejected by Republican primary voters because of his Mormon faith, then religious pluralism will be truly and openly dead in the Republican Party.

If Mitt Romney were running as a Democrat, I don't think his Mormon faith would be an issue. Democratic voters believe in religious pluralism and impose no religious tests on their candidates. Our track record proves as much. The highest elected Democrat in the country at the moment is a Mormon named Sen. Harry Reid. We had a Jewish vice presidential candidate in Joe Lieberman (he didn't have to make a "Faith in America" speech). We have the first-ever Muslim member of Congress. In the Utah House, we have a Buddhist. Democrats likely want their candidates to have faith, but past that, which faith is not important. For Democrats, in the world of politics, good positions on issues and public policy trump piety.

So, to my Mormon friends, neighbors and countrymen, I say: "You have seen the ugly side of faith in America yet again and you deserve better. In the Democratic Party, you would receive better."

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Scott D. McCoy is a Democratic state senator from District 2 in Salt Lake City.