I'm afraid that they are inextricably linked. For the longest period of time they have been two subjects that have been forbidden 'at the dinner table', and then in forums, outside of 'off topic' areas. Also, there are very few people who are able to separate their political views and their religious ones. Abortion, for example, is in the minds of many religious people a religious issue, and nothing else, or that religion dictates the politics. So trying to have any debate on abortion in a politics forum (where many people would start it) is impossible without some people feeling the need to bring religion into the discussion.
They are similar in a way. A Religion and a political party both want to spread their way of thinking and values.
They go together like peanut butter and jelly....on toast, peanut butter is good by itself...on toast, jelly is good by itself...put them together and they are even better..
Politics should always be separate from religion but even in countries where this is supposed to be the case, like in the US, they always end up getting thrown together.
I agree. They should be separated. While the church and state argument is definetely a place where politics and religion cross paths, many of these religion threads have nothing to do with politics whatsoever.