The Rev. Billy Johnson said he wants a politician who &uot;walks his talk.&uot; Johnson, like most Miss-Lou voters, looks for religious faith in a political candidate. But it’s not the religion that’s important — it’s the faith.

&uot;Whether a person is Jewish or Catholic or whatever is not as important as whether they have lived their lives consistent with that profession,&uot; said Johnson, pastor of Pine Ridge Presbyterian Church. &uot;Character is most important.&uot;

For the first time in U.S. history, a professed Orthodox Jew — Sen. Joe Lieberman — appears on the presidential ticket as the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore.

But many area voters — most of whom are Christian — said which religion or denomination a candidate belongs to does not matter as much as whether that person is a faithful follower — and whether that influences him to make wise and moral decisions.

&uot;For me, it doesn’t matter what religious faith a person is as long as he is doing the job he should for our children and the elderly — the people who need it the most,&uot; said John H. Turner of Natchez, who is retired.

&uot;I would tend to look at the candidate’s actions and see whether they agreed with his profession of faith, and if he was a habitual liar I would not believe it,&uot; Johnson said. &uot;I would certainly prefer … a practicing, devout Jew to a professed but nominal Christian, because the Scriptures make clear that you can profess anything.&uot;

Others said moral standards are a better indicator of a candidate’s character than religious classification.

&uot;We need to understand the person,&uot; said Windell Millicks, who works in small business development for the Ferriday-based Macon Ridge Economic Development Region. &uot;Religion doesn’t necessarily mean a person is going to do right.&uot;

Perhaps surprising is the optimism among many area voters that Leiberman’s religion will not interfere with his bid for the vice-presidency.

&uot;I don’t think people will worry too much about that,&uot; said Joel Parker, a Vidalia retiree who is active in the Republican party. &uot;As far as Lieberman, … who is respected throughout Washington, … is concerned, I don’t see that his being Jewish will be too much of an issue.&uot;

Neither does Mark I. Greenberg, historian at the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. In fact, Greenberg said the focus should be on spirituality, not religious classification.

&uot;You don’t have to be Christian to be religious,&uot; Greenberg said, adding he believes Leiberman’s religion is part of the campaign &uot;background,&uot; rather than a front issue.

&uot;I’m pleased no one has made it an issue,&uot; Greenberg said. &uot;It appears that it’s just fine with the American public, and that’s a good sign for this country.&uot;

&uot;I think the founding fathers are smiling,&uot; he said.

Whether voting for or against Leiberman, Greenberg said he hopes voters will overlook the Jewish candidate’s religion.

&uot;I don’t want voters going to the polls and saying, ‘Joe Leiberman is Jewish, so I’m going to vote for him,’ or ‘Joe Leiberman’s Jewish so I’m not going to vote for him,’&uot; Greenberg said.

Recent focus on Leiberman’s religion reminded many voters of national discussion about John F. Kennedy’s Catholic faith in the 1960 campaign.

&uot;They said Kennedy couldn’t go in because he was Catholic,&uot; said Norma Logan, a volunteer for Catholic Charities in Natchez.

Neil Varnell, a retired psychologist in Natchez, also remembers the debate.

&uot;The big question then was is the Pope going to be running the country,&uot; Varnell said.

While he is not sure what lessons, if any, were learned from JFK’s victory, this year’s campaign does call for comparison, Varnell said.

&uot;During that campaign, it wasn’t Kennedy talking about being Catholic, it was others bring it out,&uot; he said. &uot;I don’t think Leiberman is talking about his Jewishness, it’s others that are talking about it.&uot;

Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu — most voters said a candidate’s religion is less important than his spirituality.

&uot;If you live what you believe, people will respect you,&uot; Logan said.

&uot;The person’s moral character, if he’s a spiritual person, is important.&uot; Natchez native Linda Easley Taylor said. &uot;Not necessarily if they are Christian.&uot;