RSS
Using PayPal
MORE ON THE RNC MAILER: REMEMBER THE CHURCH DIRECTORIES?
Share / Recommend - Comment - Print - Monday, Sep 27 2004, 5:43PM
THE BUZZ CONTINUES ABOUT THE RNC MAILER saying that the Dems would ban the Bible and that Arkansas and West Virginia would turn into bastions of sinful homosexual marriage -- or "selfish hedonism" as Alan Keyes called it when referring to Mary Cheney.
John Edwards spoke about the issue at a church yesterday -- something Amy Sullivan and Melissa Deckman write about a lot -- that is Dems need to get religion in their political tool box. I don't agree but appreciate the view. I have very mixed feelings about church pulpits being used for politicking. Bill Clinton engaged in bible-belting at the pulpit frequently -- even when he endorsed Gray Davis against Arnold Schwarzenegger. The argument goes that since the Republicans are doing it -- the Democrats need to, and vice versa.
The perverse side of this trend was the RNC attempting to acquire church directories so that it could mail literature and voter registration materials to church-goers, who it seem are overwhelmingly (but not all!) Republican.
I wrote about the legality of this last month, and it seems that the law smiles on those parishioners who volunteer such directories but frowns on those ministers and priests, or other official church representatives, who formally provide the directories -- even for voter registration efforts.
In the flood of commentary that followed my posting the RNC mailer, I heard from hundreds of people, including some who also received the flier.
One friend of mine who lives in Arkansas and teaches at Hendrix College found a thread between some of those who received the flier -- they belonged to the same church. One of these people apparently had never been involved with any political party or issues and was very surprised to get such mail.
I got on the phone and email to others who had told me that they had received the mailer in West Virginia and in Arkansas -- and asked if they belonged to churches, which they did -- and asked if they could call around to others at their church. Bingo. In three cases of follow up calls, I found that there were in fact church linkages between some recipients of these disgusting mailers.
This puts that issue of the RNC efforts to get the parish directories in a new light, or better yet, new darkness. This seems pretty high profile and risky for the RNC.
Despite the RNC's admitting ownership of this now, how was it that Ed Gillespie didn't know?
Ed, in church -- most of them anyway -- one of the most important lessons is not to lie.
Are you lying, Ed?
-- Steve Clemons
« Previous Article - PHILADELPHIA: THE CITY OF WIFI LOVE» Next Article - THE REST OF THE RNC "BAN THE BIBLE" MAILER
Well look, I'm a Christian and my parents are pretty hardcore Southern Baptists and Democrats. But most of the rest in their church are not.
While I'd rather not use a pulpit as a political stump, wearing your faith if you have it, openly is something I see as very different. That's the key I think between using a church for a political tool or bringing your faith to the fore in the things you do.
I think a politician who can do that, rather than brandishing his "faith" like a 2x4 ala W, will really resonate with people as being not only a person of faith, but an HONEST one.
"The argument goes that since the Republicans are doing it -- the Democrats need to, and vice versa."
I don't think that's the argument at all.
I think the argument is that religion is important to the vast majority of Americans, and they need to feel comfortable with a candidate's Christianity. No atheist is going to be president any time soon.
Praktike, I think the more appropriate word would be religiosity, not religion.
All the various admonitions and bits of advice Jesus gave regarding prayer and faith have been blasted beyond recognition in the current practices by politicians in the US.
It's religiosity and it's only barely recognizeable as Christianity.
In truth it's an abomination.
Nice work. What has to be done to connect the dots and get this to the right people? Probably too late (for the election) to get legal balls rolling. But mainstream press should be hitting this.
I don't think there is much difference between the "if the repugnicons are doing it..." and the "vast majority of Americans" argument. They are one in the same. That is to say the repugnicons do it because it matters to a vast majority of Americans.
If it is legal then the dems certainly should do it (though I shudder at the thought of where that line of thought leads). One thing is certain, the repugnicons will try to feed off of the dem support base, if we just let them do it, what will become of the party... America... those of us who don't believe.
What that doesn't indicate is a preference for doing the things they do in the WAY they do it. But then I'm not sure you can protect yourself from being eaten alive if you don't.
Certainly Sen Kerry shows how to display your faith without the brandishing that Mimiru talks about, perhaps that is the path to take. The problem is it hasn't seemed to work alot yet.
"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."
We can only hope that Americans will see Bush's use his religion for what it is: a cynical political cudgel skillfully wielded to fool people.
I never trust a person who uses God to get money or votes
There is a need for need for Democrat politicians who are Christians to call the GOP attacks for what they are, a sectarian religious attack on other Christian sects and other religions. This goes against the pluralistic princliples of the United States and the separatation of church and state. Why should right wing Christian sects get to decide what is moral and what is not moral?
Partly this comes about because the mainstream press prefers to ignore religion as an issue and not report it. When one political party wants to make religion an issue, it is an issue. Where are the interviews with left-wing Christians and religious leaders to counter balance the one sided attacks? Where are the liberal theologians in the press?
Reader Comments (9) - post a comment