ON THE ISSUES: Religion BLOOMINGTON - For some, faith and politics go together like coffee and cream. Chuck Anthony of Ellsworth spent 20 years as an ordained minister but left that calling to open Jamani Java coffee house in Bloomington.

Still, faith is an integral part of Anthony's life, and it plays a role in his political decisions.

"My faith has played a very important and informative role in my life, in the way that I conduct myself, the way I conduct my business, the way I interact with people, how I've been as a husband and a father and a grandfather," Anthony said. "I haven't just put it in a little box and partitioned it off."

As Election Day nears, Central Illinois residents - from regular church-goers to those who dismiss the concept - keep their religious views in mind as they decide how to cast their votes.

For 50-year-old Anthony, kindness and integrity are two important tenants of Christian life - and that's where religion and politics meet. His biggest issue for this election is the economy.

"I like to believe people are going to do what they say they'll do," Anthony said. "With that integrity in place, I believe our country can go forward."

Candidates' specific views on issues like abortion or the death penalty do not affect his vote. Anthony's own beliefs - or the process by which he decides his feelings - are only partially formed by faith.

"Whether one candidate is pro-life or not pro-life, nothing is really going to happen based on that one person's opinion," Anthony said. "I would call those micro-issues."

They're not so little, however, for Catholics like Sharla Glass of Normal.

"Life is sacred because God created it," said Glass, 33, a former religious education director who now works in customer service and data base management at En-Vision America in Normal. "Life is still of immense value."

That said, she's uncertain which candidate she'll back. She also thinks about their stances on the economy and education, and weighs whether a pro-life candidate will make enough of a difference on that topic to offset the good that another candidate might do.

"It's not about the law. It's about changing people's hearts," said Glass, who attends Epiphany Catholic Church in Normal.

Others - while they would not consider an abortion for their families - believe such topics have no place in politics.

"I don't feel I have the right to take that decision away from someone else," said John Reheder of Normal.

Reheder, who believes a higher power probably exists but doesn't attend church or pray, believes in the separation of church and state. In fact, Reheder considers whether a candidate's faith is so strong that a religious issue could affect people who do not feel the same way.

"When you start mixing religion and politics, it's a recipe for disaster," said Reheder, 58, a logistics manager for Mechanical Devices Co. in Bloomington.

John and Joan Krajewski of Normal are active at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Bloomington and draw from their religious experiences when they choose a candidate. But topics like abortion stay out of the decision.

Instead, when John Krajewski, 48, a sale representative for California-based Kumho Tire, is in the voting booth, he thinks, "What would Jesus do?" Similarly, his wife mentions a Bible verse paraphrased as "Whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me."

Joan Krajewski, 47, an assistant for a commodity broker, simply does what she can in hopes God's will is fulfilled.

"I've been praying about the election," she said. "That's faith."

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Where they stand

Highlights of plans by presidential candidates Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

Faith

• Obama: Discuss faith in a pluralistic society; translate concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values during public debate.

• McCain: Overturn Roe v. Wade; promote adoption; protect marriage; address moral concerns of advanced technology; protect children from Internet pornography; protect children from online predators; serve cause of human dignity.

SOURCES: www.barackobama.com/issues/, www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/