If religion ceased while outside the walls of a place of worship, then there would be very little point for religion. Faith is an empty gesture if it does not carry over into works, which usually hapen outside of church (this doesn't necessarily imply evangelization). I doubt thats what you were implying, but I just wanted to be clear on that point.

However, I understand the sentiment and I would much rather see politicians making decisions based off of rational decisions than 'G-d told me so'. An elected office is no place for a pulpit. Neither do I believe that ethical, moral, and religious considerations are mutually exclusive with rational thought. After all, if an elected official is religious you can't expect him/her to completely ignore those beliefs while in office.