My first consideration on voting for someone is what their stance is in the bigger issues, i.e. Iraq, economy, health care and so forth. I know a percentage of the U.S. really struggle with what the exact division between church & state should be. I personally would choose a straight Christian over and above anyone else. I really don't care if the person is homosexual, but I don't know if the U.S. is ready for that. An atheist would cut out the core of what the U.S. Constitution and Government was founded on "In God We Trust" no matter how much anyone denys that truth.

I would vote for the most liberal candidate.

An Atheist. The separation between church and state might be a little more prominent.

No down rates from me. Fair question. None of those things matter to me. I would vote for the most qualified, intellegent person that would represent my views. That's why we vote in the US.

A homosexual atheist.

I believe you should vote for who would make the best president....

I'd vote for the most libertarian of the three candidates. It would be odd to find a person who was a straight Christian and a true libertarian, but it's not unheard of.

I don't care what they are. I only care about the issues and how they plan on dealing with them.

I'd be more interested in their policies and how they're going to benefit our country. Is the straight Christian guy really straight? Is he a genuine, god-loving, 'becoming more christ-like' Christian, or just a showboat? What about the Atheist or the homosexual? What integrity do they show in their own lives? Do they live by the policies they proclaim? Anybody can be a hypocrite, not just a Christian. I'd be looking at the key issues - health, education, economy, social welfare and morality, foreign policy environment, etc. I want somebody with common sense and integrity who will make the hard decisions and stand up for what's right. I want somebody who is genuinely interested in the welfare of his/her constituents, even if his/her political platform is not the most popular. Christians are human still, with failings and flaws. We make mistakes, we do the wrong things. Sometimes people fall away and get caught up with the desires of the world - it happens. That said, just because the straight Christian is Christian, doesn't automatically make them the best leader... As for policies on "controversial" issues like abortion and sex and other such subjects... well it's hard to say. We all have our opinions and like to vote for the person who suits our opinions, so realistically that may bias the decision. While "ideally" I would prefer to be able to vote for the Christian, it would take a lot more than just knowing he/she is Christian to get my okay. As far as politics go, the sexual preference of a candidate shouldn't be an issue unless that person has an agenda to push their sexuality onto society and attack those different from them. As far as religions go, whilst Christians would obviously prefer a Christian leader, if the person are governing the country with fairness, wisdom and justice, looking after their country and constituents, I wouldn't criticise them for not being Christian. That's their choice as a person. If there was a good Christian person - genuine and people oriented, then I would vote for that person. However, if that person did not live up to their own claims, and did not show the integrity and character fitting their claims, I'd be hesitant to have them as a leader. ****** [EDIT] As for the question of 'what if they all had the same ideas?', it really then comes down to what preferences the voters have. I tend to be more of a character and integrity person, and that will bias my final vote as well. The thing is that we are all prejudiced creatures. We see the world through our eyes and believe that we are right. Sometimes even when we are wrong. There are people who will vote for or against somebody just to fulfil a bias or ideal. Not criticising this person, but the answer about voting for an atheist in order to separate state and church - is that really the purpose of voting? What if the atheist rapes the country with bad management and bad policy? Why should the 'church' be punished for another person's bias? What have we done wrong? Are we not allowed a voice as well, or are we all just dismissed as whacky religious extremists because we don't agree with other people? Same thing goes for the christian leader. What if the religious community votes for him/her to keep the gay and the atheist out, only to find that he/she is absolutely hopeless? What if that christian leader does a duck-dive and takes the country with them? What then? What if the christian leader goes berserk and starts forcing their beliefs on the rest of the country? That's NOT what 'preaching the gospel' is about. I'd rather be a christian who lives out their life as an example and a testimony, rather than some bible thumping preacher-turned-politician who's just out to try to turn the state INTO the church. You don't need to drive a wedge between them, but neither do you want to force society into some 'religious reform'. That's not what we're here for... What about the 'gay' leader? What are his/her motivations, skills, etc? Does being gay make them an better as a leader? Realistically it has nothing at all to do with performing the job, yet people give this kind of stuff too much credence in their thought processes. If we were able to get past our prejudices and look at things from a logical standpoint, then a lot of this stuff would not happen. Yet that's not easy to do, since we are all prejudiced. As I've said elsewhere, I struggle with it sometimes, trying to override those prejudicial thoughts that come. The trouble is that most people don't see it. I've been there: "This is my opinion, and it's gospel truth." It makes it hard because we often won't acknowledge that our opinions are just that - opinions, and that we can be wrong. That's something else I've found out the hard way, even here on AB. There will be a lot of answers here - some of them 'moderate', some highly 'prejudiced'. That's just the way we all are...

I'd vote for them based on whoever was the most qualified politically without bringing any prejudice into it. But I realize this is not the point of your question. Honestly, I like to change things up, and I think it would be refreshing to have someone other than the straight Christian as president. If politically I was tied between them and had to choose, I'd probably go for the atheist, because, like I said, it would be refreshing to change things up in the presidency and an atheist has one less thing affecting their judgement. I believe in God, but I dont believe religious beliefs should interfere with politics. We see how well that worked in the past, and with an atheist this would not be an issue. As far as the homosexual, I dont see any reason not to vote for them based on that, and vice versa.

Since the United States of America was founded by Christians, and all of our laws were founded in Christian beliefs, and all the good that has happened to the county is because of this I would have to say that an athiest is out of the question. It may sound harsh but I don't understand how much effort atheists try to put into undermining the U.S. and it's principles. I think the President of the United States should believe in what this country was founded on, what it stands for, and what will keep it the defender of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The most qualified. However I would be most skeptical of the straight Christian considering the actions of our current President. He really discredits heterosexuals, Evangelicals, and Texans. On the third hand, making Texans look bad is so easy....

"Most of our morality is an ancient hand-me-down from the religious past". If that is true, nobody owes any allegiance to any system of morals, since they all come from the same fraudulent basis.

All other things being equal, I'd vote for the homosexual because, first, I'm one too and I'd like to see my issues brought to the fore and, second, the process of coming out to one's self really makes you take stock of your beliefs and values and gives you a strength of character that many others (who haven't had to go through that) don't have.

The question doesn't focus on the abilities of the candidate. I would vote for the candidate who a) appeared to have the greatest ability and b) whose political philosophy most closely resembled mine. As for their personal religious or sexual life, I don't see where these areas are of any concern to their ability to govern the country. But then there are people who believe that movie stars have valid political opinions just because they are paid a lot of money and get a lot of publicity. To those who are willing to listen to such opinions, I suppose sexual or religious orientation makes a difference.

Not the staright Christan

The person with the better ideas. sex, race or religion would not come into it.

If the only data I had to base my vote on was the candidates' religion and sexual orientation, then I would rather not vote at all than make an uneducated vote with that little information. It would really depend on which candidate was the most representative of me and my beliefs and ideals, and which one of the three was the best qualified for the position. Although I can tell you one thing for sure, there's not a very good chance of that being the straight Christian.

A good, honest polititian.

I would not have a problem voting for any of the above, the main criteria would be how closely they match my needs in a president.

I can live with a straight Christian or an atheist.

I agree that's all about their individual platforms, individual characteristics, individual political agendas, etc. But, that being said, as the country stands now it is IMPOSSIBLE for a homosexual or an atheist to get elected to the presidency. It was controversial when Kennedy was running just because he was Catholic. Because of that I would lean toward either of them (or a gay atheist, even beter!) inorder to break the barrier. Thinking about the next election, we have a strong possibility that our next president just might be a woman or a black man- both are straight Christians, but still, they would each break barriers.

I'm not much of a political person myself, but if it was absolutely necessary for me to vote then I would vote for a Bible-believing, born-again Christian that is straight. Good question. I hope this helps. :) -In the Master's service. Thank you and God bless you!

I dont care too much about faith or sexuality. I would vote on who I felt would do best for my country. after that, they could be a freaking trannie for all i care.

i'd vote for whom ever i saw was best fit for the job regardless of what others thought of my vote. i usually vote for one of the independents or a green party candidates if that tells you anything ;)