How important is hide/sneak on a cleric truly?

[Hrothgaar]

Hey all,

1.) I am thinking about rolling a cleric and read up a huge amount of opinions about which race / deity to pick but almost all postings were years old and I understand that hide and sneak has been changed since then. As I would pick halfling just for the added utility of these two skills, how important are they truly these days (or in velious) for the group (or later even raid)?

Some posters mentioned the lack of gear (deity gear, robes) for halfling clerics , so I am really unsure if I should pick halfling because it will be a long time (if ever) before I can grab some high-end raid gear to fill in these holes.

What is your up-to-date opinion on this concerning the race/deity?

2.) As my main is a shaman (25) which I love to almost always play in groups, I am thinking about maybe getting the cleric just for some solo "Smiter of the undead" RP theme until my rezzes are meaningful, which race/deity would you advice in this case?
Side-Note: Yes I know that it should be probably the way around as in clerics-group, shaman-solo ;-)