Known around left-leaning Hollywood for her conservative stances on weighty issues like abortion and stem cells, 'Everybody Loves Raymond' star Patricia Heaton is happy to explain how important her Christian faith is to her and how it shapes her views and career choices.

"My feeling is all these things come from God and as long as I know I'm staying in line with Him, I don't have to worry if there is backlash," she told me during a visit to AOL's New York offices. "God will open any doors he wants to open and if he closes doors that's fine to."

Telling me that she has many gay friends and doesn't oppose gay marriage, Patricia gets frustrated being automatically lumped together with other conservatives, a characterization she says has cost her possible work.

"We know for a fact there are some people who have said they wouldn't want to work with us because of our politics," she said, with her husband David Hunt adding, "We get lumped in with lunatics."