GRANTHAM, Pa. -- One portrayed himself as a devout Christian who worked with churches in the shadow of Chicago's steel plants and strives to be an instrument of God.

The other described her favorite Bible story, said prayer is part of her decision-making process and said that suffering is God's call for people to respond.

Time was that Democratic presidential candidates would avoid talking about religion. Yesterday, though, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton celebrated it, as part of a nationally televised discussion about issues of faith called the Compassion Forum at Messiah College.

On a series of questions ranging from abortion to global warming to AIDS, the candidates staked out similar positions.

"Part of our obligation as leaders in America is to make sure that any conversation about religion is inclusive and respectful, and that has not always happened," Mrs. Clinton said. "Even people of faith might say, 'Why are you having this forum? And why are you exploring these issues [as] two people who are vying for president of the United States?' I think that's a fair question to ask. I'm here because I think it's also fair for us to have this discussion."

Mr. Obama said diverse viewpoints, including those based on faith, allow for healthy argument and debate, so long as self-righteousness is left behind.

Organizers said the aim of forum, which was moderated by Campbell Brown of CNN and John Meacham, editor of Newsweek, was to open discussion about issues of faith that have not gotten much attention so far this primary season.

Still, the session opened with a question about the weekend's most highly publicized campaign news: Mr. Obama's contention at a fund-raiser a week ago that small-town voters turn to religion and to conservative political views on gun control and other issues because they are "bitter."

Mrs. Clinton, who took the stage first in the separate 45-minute question and answer sessions, said those comments hurt the party by furthering the view that Democrats have become elitist and out of touch.

Mr. Obama, meanwhile, used his first moments on stage to explain his remarks.

"What I was saying is that when economic hardship hits in these communities, what people have is they've got family, they've got their faith, they've got the traditions that have been passed onto them from generation to generation. Those aren't bad things. Those are what they have left," he said.

Mr. Obama also was asked to clarify an early campaign-season comment about contraception. Girls who make the mistake of having sex too early should not be "punished with a baby."

"All I meant is that we want to prevent teen pregnancies. What we don't want to do is be blind to the possibility that kids will screw up," he said. "Statistically, we know 12- or 13-year-olds who are having children are much more likely to be impoverished, are much more likely to have health problems, are much more likely to have trouble raising that child."

Both candidates said they would like to make abortion a rarity, but were clear that they did not think it should be outlawed.

"Individuals must be entrusted to make this profound decision because the alternative would be such an intrusion of government authority that it would be difficult to sustain in our kind of open society," Mrs. Clinton said. "Abortion should remain legal, but it needs to be safe and rare."

Mr. Obama, meanwhile, said that the focus should be on abstinence, good medical care for women, the availability of contraception and age-appropriate sex education.

Candidates also were asked personal questions about their belief in God.

"I wouldn't be sitting here had it not been for the gift of grace and faith that keeps me going and challenges me," Mrs. Clinton said.

Mrs. Clinton is a Methodist. Mr. Obama is a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, where the retired pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, touched off a furor with sermons criticizing the United States. The words of Mr. Obama's pastor have dogged the campaign, and the candidate reiterated his condemnation of the Rev. Wright's remarks but stood by his church.

"Pastors are imperfect. Certainly, the membership is imperfect. I, as somebody who is sitting in the pews as a sinner, is imperfect," he said. "And, you know, that doesn't detract from, I think, what the church is supposed to be about, which is to worship God and proclaim the good news."

Rabbi Gerald Serotta, of Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, Md., and chairman of Rabbis for Human Rights said he was disappointed in the questions asked by Ms. Brown and Mr. Meacham because they focused on personal faith and abortion instead of on broader faith questions such as poverty, compassion, torture and environmental protection.

"The personal piety of the candidates is of no consequence," Rabbi Serotta said. "It means something to religious leaders to say it's important to reduce poverty significantly or to uphold the dignity of a person by stopping torture."

The forum is a sign that "people recognize we live in a very religious country," he added. "We don't have separation of religion and state here; we have separation of organized church and state. It's important for Americans to connect their religion to their politics. You don't have that sense in Europe. The Democrats have been behind the curve in recognizing that."

Faith in Public Life, which sponsored the event, is a consortium of faith leaders seeking to promote social justice and common good.