The ideal of a separation of church and state doesn’t mean past presidents weren’t religious and spiritual during their terms. David Holmes, a professor emeritus of religious studies at the College of William and Mary, tackled the topic of presidents and religion Friday night, giving a lecture on the issue in the Energy, Coast and Environment Building. About 30 people gathered for “Religious But Not Too Religious: The Faiths of Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, and the Current Contenders” to hear Holmes speak on the role of religion in the lives of presidents Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. He also briefly talked about the controversy surrounding Sen. Barack Obama and Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Sen. John McCain’s Baptist beliefs. Holmes, who taught at the College of William and Mary for 43 years, was the Walter G. Mason professor of religious studies and won numerous awards, including the Thomas Jefferson award of William and Mary, which recognized his outstanding teaching and service.”Holmes does make an effort to be fair, and when facts are clear, he will state them. And that is a characteristic of a good college teacher,” said John Whittaker, longtime friend of Holmes and professor emeritus of philosophy and religious studies at LSU.Holmes said he couldn’t answer serious questions about Obama’s or McCain’s religious beliefs because he hasn’t thoroughly researched their views.”I take McCain’s relationship with John Hagee about as seriously as I take Obama’s relationship to Jeremiah Wright,” Holmes said.McCain was raised an Episcopalian in a Navy chapel but is currently Baptist, Holmes said. McCain attends a mega-church, named North Phoenix in Arizona. But he’s not an official member of the church because he was never baptized.Not being baptized may not hinder McCain’s appeal to evangelicals who view baptism as an outward expression, which is not as important as the inward faith and action, Holmes said. Holmes said the evangelical era was palpable after the Watergate scandal, citing an increasing number of students with biblical names. “We are in an evangelical era in politics,” Holmes said. “We can’t predict the future, but the evangelicals are split politically and are no longer the monolithic movement of the Moral Majority … but it is the main line, and they are larger in number than the Methodists, Presbyterians and Episcopalians.” Holmes said religion and politics became noticeably mixed after Reagan’s win against Jimmy Carter in 1980.  “One thing I’ve found when you teach religion is people are mainly products of their background,” Holmes said.Holmes said Obama doesn’t seem to have attended church much and would have been un-noteworthy if it were not for his association with a controversial pastor.If Obama wins the election, his church choice will be interesting to watch, Holmes said. He has the choice of attending an integrated church, but on the other hand, he could attend a large African-American church.Using historical quotes from letters and presidential associates, Holmes described the religious views of former presidents Nixon, Reagan and Clinton, who he said were highly influenced by their childhoods and early religious beliefs. Holmes described Nixon as a modernist who maintained his early Quaker values, but mainly kept his spiritual background to himself as president. He had a light side, from Quaker values, and a dark side from his political life, Holmes said.”Ronald Reagan was raised by his mother in an earnest form of Protestantism,” Holmes said. “Despite the influence of the movie industry … I think he maintained the outlook and many of the values of his childhood.” Holmes described Clinton’s early childhood as influential on his future religious life and his presidency. Clinton’s religious life and Monica Lewinsky scandal represent his dual personality, Holmes said.Holmes described Clinton’s stepfather as an alcoholic, gambling wife-beater and said the president often used church as a sanctuary from the ‘war in his home.'”In the case of Bill Clinton, childhood is clearly the key to the man,” Holmes said.—-Contact Erica Warren at [email protected]