Hillary Clinton speaks of her faith in God

In a rare public discussion of her husband’s infidelity, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said she could probably not have got through her marital troubles without her faith in God.

“I am very grateful that I had a grounding in faith that gave me the courage and the strength to do what I thought was right, regardless of what the world thought,” Clinton said yesterday during a forum in Washington where the three leading Democratic presidential candidates talked about faith and values.

She stood by her actions in the aftermath of former President Bill Clinton’s admission that he had an affair, including presumably her decision to stay in the marriage.

“I’m not sure I would have got through it without my faith,” she said.

The forum, sponsored by the liberal Sojourners/Call to Renewal evangelical organisation, provided a rare glimpse into the most personal beliefs of Clinton and rivals John Edwards and Barack Obama.

Edwards revealed that he prays – and sins – every day.

The crowd gasped loudly when moderator Soledad O’Brien asked Edwards to name the biggest sin he ever committed, and he won their applause when he said he would have a hard time naming one thing.