Republicans talk too much about religion, and Democrats don’t talk about it enough. That’s one way to read two new polls examining the connection between religion and politics in this year’s election.

Americans want leaders who are inspired by religion but not consumed by it. They don’t want a secularist in the White House, but they don’t want a crusader, either. The president should practice his faith, but with humility, not rigidity. And both parties are having trouble reconciling those impulses.

Start with the Republicans. Their primaries have revealed a sharp disconnect between the party faithful and the rest of America. According to an ABC News/Washington Post poll earlier this month, 42 percent of all adults care that “a candidate shares your religious beliefs.” But that figure jumps to 64 percent for all GOP primary voters.