I live in Utah....you dont know how important the separation of church and state is until you live here.
LDS kids get time off school each and every day from middle school on to attend LDS "Seminary". There are seminaries attached to every public school...middle schools, High Schools and Colleges. There is nothing similar offered to students of any other belief system.
When measures are considered in our legislature (and even at the county and city levels in many cases) those measures will not pass unless the "church" (LDS) approves of or is indifferent. This last month our medical marijuana bill was doomed as soon as the LDS church came out against it. It was changed, based solely on the churches opposition to it.
When applying for a job at the local PUBLIC college, I was asked "What ward do you belong to?" (ie, wards are the local level congregations). When I complained, I was told "They only asked to be friendly"
I can tell you right now that whoever is the next republican candidate, will recieve the electoral votes for Utah. It does not matter who it is, they will win Utah, because the church votes as a block the straight republican ticket here.