President George W. Bush, who was given significant support by the Christian right in his election victory, sought to play down suggestions of a religious divide in the United States.
"I will be your president regardless of your faith, and I don't expect you to agree with me, necessarily, on religion. As a matter of fact, no president should ever try to impose religion on our society," Bush said at his first press conference since his victory.
"I don't think you ought to read anything into the politics ... about whether or not this nation will become a divided nation over religion."
He added: "The great tradition of America is one where people can worship the way they want to worship. And if they choose not to worship, they're just as patriotic as your neighbor. That is an essential part of why we are a great nation."
"If you're a Jew or a Christian or a Muslim, you're equally American."
Bush acknowledged the help given to him by the evangelical vote, particularly in southern states, which were swept by the Republican candidate.
Bush, a Methodist, is a born-again Christian, who opposes gay marriage and abortion. According to polls his stance won him many votes. Bush's main political advisor, Karl Rove, has deliberately targeted the religious vote in recent years.
"I am glad people of faith voted in this election. I am glad -- I appreciate all people who voted," the president said after being asked about a potential "religious divide" by a reporter.
His Democratic challenger, Senator John Kerry, is a Roman Catholic who supports a woman's right to choose abortion. He also opposes gay marriage but voiced opposition to Bush's calls for a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages.
There is now a growing debate within the Democratic party on how to tempt the religious vote back to the party, which has now suffered two straight defeats to Bush.
"I don't hesitate to stand up in a crowd and express how important faith is in my life. It is important to be able to express that in a way that is believable, and Democrats have to get comfortable doing that," Senator Blanche Lincoln, a Democrat from Arkansas, told the Washington Post.
Dick Gephardt (news - web sites), a Democratic member of the House of Representatives who was once a candidate for the party's presidential nomination, told the New York Times that Democrats had failed "to speak to our faith, and to relate to people that we share their faith."
CBS News said that its polls showed that only 26 percent of US voters supported legalized gay and lesbian marriages, while 36 percent opposed any legal recognition of same-sex relationships. Among this latter group, Bush held a greater than two-to-one advantage over Kerry.