Here is your Religion News Roundup excerpt for today.

By David Gibson
c. Religion News Service 2012
Reprinted with permission

Who says only Republicans can use faith as a political tool? Opening night of the Democratic convention, and former Ohio (cue “battleground state” line) governor Ted Strickland cited the Gospels for an Old Testament jeremiad against Mitt Romney’s offshore wealth:

    “In Matthew, chapter 6, verse 21, the scriptures teach us that where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. My friends, any man who aspires to be our president should keep both his treasure and his heart in the United States of America.”

Ouch. But Republicans were not about to yield the mantle of sanctimony and noted that the Democratic platform does not mention God even once, while theirs cites the Almighty 10 times.

Democrats tell CNN that the word "faith" appears 11 times in the platform, "religion" or "religious" 9 times, "church" 2 times, and "clergy" 1 time. So there.

And religious liberals argue that religion “filled the air” in Charlotte, especially when it came to issues like immigration.

Another sign? The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says that this year's Democratic convention features a record number of American Muslim delegates: more than 100, up from 43 Muslim and Arab-American delegates at the 2008 convention, and 25 at the 2004 convention.

Some say religious labels don’t matter much any more in politics.

But can you find a Muslim cleric offering a prayer this week in Charlotte? Our own Omid Safi couldn’t.

Read the rest of this post on Religion News Service's web site.