For starters, the debate was held at an institution run by Catholic Benedictines: Saint Anselm College. Also, two Catholics participated — Newt Ginrich and Rick Santorum — along with three evangelical Baptists — Herman Cain, Tim Pawlenty, Ron Paul — a Mormon, Mitt Romney, and one evangelical Lutheran, Michele Bachmann.
Though there were no Muslim candidates at the GOP debate, the faith came up. CNN moderator John King asked Cain, the Godfather's Pizza CEO, about his comment that he would feel uncomfortable having a Muslim in his administration:
"I would not be comfortable because you have peaceful Muslims and then you have militant Muslims — those that are trying to kill us," Cain said. "And so when I said I wouldn't be comfortable, I was thinking about the ones who are trying to kill us."
Cain also explained that he does not support Sharia law in American courts. "I believe in American laws in American courts, period."
"We recognize that the people of all faiths are welcome in this country," said Mitt Romney, responding to Cain's comments. "Our nation was founded on a principle of religious tolerance. That's in fact why some of the early patriots came to this country and we treat people with respect regardless of their religious persuasion."
The majority of the religious discussion in the debate revolved around the proper separation of church and state and the role of religion in the public sphere.
Responding to one such question, Pawlenty said, "The protections between the separation of church and state were designed to protect people of faith from government, not government from people of faith."
He also said, "This is a country that in our founding documents says we're a nation that's founded under God, and the privileges and blessings that we have are from our creator… The Founding Fathers understood that the blessings that we have as a nation come from our creator and we should stop and say thanks and express gratitude for that. I embrace that."
"Madison called it the perfect remedy," Santorum said, "people of faith and no faith, to come in and make their claims in the public square, to be heard."
Ron Paul lauded religious faith as creating character and added that law should have a moral fiber. "'Congress shall write no laws...'" Paul said, "which means Congress should never prohibit the expression of your Christian faith in a public place."