In 2012, religion is on the ballot like never before. Three of the four remaining GOP candidates often invoke their faith on the campaign trail, and say it’s their belief in God and Christianity that inspire their policy choices. Rick Santorum has gone even further, saying he’s guided by his Catholic faith — and his decision-making in the White House would be too. But what if you’re a Republican not of the Christian faith? Is this rhetoric on the campaign trail isolating?

"American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us" is a exhaustive survey of the role of religion in American public life, and authors Robert Putnam and David Campbell, paint a mostly positive portrait of American religion.

Since the start of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, neither BP nor politicians nor the smartest engineers and technicians in America have been able to cap the well and contain the damage.

Some Americans say we are looking to the wrong people for answers, and should instead be directing our requests to a higher power.

Most people see the 1993 movie "Groundhog Day" as just another funny, fabulous Bill Murray comedy. But others, in a variety of religious communities, see it as an illustration of the tenets of their particular faiths. We ask the movie's screenwriter about the divine influence of his story and talk with a religious studies scholar who uses the film as a teaching tool.