Presidential Candidate Fred Thompson

By Mary Fairchild, About.com Guide

Fred Thompson

Photo: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images

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Faith Snapshot:

_{Last Updated: 01/22/2008}

Issues of faith and religion come to the forefront quite often during elections and presidential campaigns. In preparation for the primary elections, I thought it would be helpful to provide a "faith snapshot" of each of the 2008 presidential candidates. I have sent each candidate a brief questionnaire about their faith. This project will be continually updated as I receive responses and find additional faith-related statements from the candidates. Please check back often!

Go Back to Complete List of 2008 Presidential Candidates.

Fred Thompson's Political Profile:

• Thompson withdraws his candidacy- 01/22/08.

Party: Republican
Age: 65
Education:
University of Memphis, B.S.
Vanderbilt University, J.D.
Current Position: Television Actor - "Law & Order"
Experience: Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Senator, Tennessee
Declared Candidacy: Sept. 2007

Fred Thompson's Faith Snapshot:

Religion/Church: Church of Christ

Fred Thompson was baptized and attended church frequently as a young child with his mother who was an active member of the First Street Church of Christ in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, the small town where he grew up. At 17 he married Sarah Lindsey and together they raised three children. In 1985 they divorced after 25 years of marriage. Thompson married Jeri Kehn, a 35-year-old attorney and political media consultant, in 2002. They have a daughter and a son. Today Fred Thompson does not attend church regularly and prefers not to speak about his religion as part of the campaign.

Fred Thompson's Expressions of Faith:

Thompson says he was taught values while "sitting around the kitchen table" with his parents and from "the good Church of Christ." To a crowd in Greennville, South Carolina, Thompson stated, "I know that I'm right with God and the people I love.''

In a speech to the Council for National Policy, Thompson said, "Many federal judges seem intent on eliminating God from the public schools and the public square in ways that would astound our founding fathers. We never know when a five to four Supreme Court decision will uphold them. They ignore the fact that the founders were protecting the church from the state and not the other way around."

More About Fred Thompson's Faith:

• Fred Thompson's Rating from GodVoter.org

More Faith Snapshots:

Democrats

Hillary Clinton - United Methodist
Barack Obama - United Church of Christ
John Edwards - United Methodist
Bill Richardson - Roman Catholic
Mike Gravel - Unitarian Universalist
Dennis Kucinich - Roman Catholic

Republicans

Rudy Giuliani - Roman Catholic
Mike Huckabee - Southern Baptist
Mitt Romney - Mormon
John McCain - Christian
Duncan Hunter - Southern Baptist
Ron Paul - Baptist

Complete List of 2008 Presidential Candidates