The unfortunate thing is that throughout history Emperors, Monarchs, and dictators have used religion as a justification of their absolute power. If you are a god, or are the person closest to the Christian God, then how can your opinion be doubted?
The founding fathers had a classical education and they understood this fact intimately - it is one of the reasons they strongly advocated a separation of church and state.
That is why this whole episode is so sad and pathetic - the American people are fortunate to have the opportunity to choose their leaders based on a discussion of real issues and policies, and the religious right is pushing to short-circuit this discussion by framing candidates and their policies in a black-and-white religious context preached from the top-down. Not only that, they also want the government to fund this political propaganda much as a Roman Emperor would have funded a parade in his honor, or a European King would have funded the churches that supported his claim of divine authority.