Religious Leaders Criticize Bush Campaign for Misuse of Churches

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Evangelical/Moderate Religious Leaders Criticize Bush Campaign for Misuse of Churches; Call on President to Repudiate Violations

U.S. Newswire - A group of prominent Evangelicals and moderate to conservative religious leaders have sent an open letter to President Bush (news - web sites) condemning the Bush/ Cheney 2004 campaign's improper collaboration with church leaders and use of congregational directories.

The signatories, all of whom teach ethics, ask President Bush to repudiate his campaign's violations of fundamental principles of democracy and the sanctity of their houses of worship. ..

The Rev. Dr. James Dunn said, "Blurring the lines between churches and political parties undermines the integrity of our democracy and of our religious institutions."

Signatories include:
Jimmy R. Allen, Former President, Southern Baptist Convention (Georgia)
The Rev. Dr. Tony Campolo, Eastern University (Pennsylvania)
The Rev. Dr. James M. Dunn, Wake Forest Divinity School (North Carolina)
Dr. Richard V. Pierard, Gordon College (Massachusetts)
The Rev. Dr. Ronald B. Flowers, Texas Christian University (Texas)
The Rev. Dr. Walter B. Shurden, Mercer University (Georgia)
The Rev. Dr. George Hunter, Asbury Theological Seminary (Kentucky)
Dr. James T. Laney, Faith and the City (Georgia)
The Rev. Dr. Paul Raushenbush, Princeton University (New Jersey)
Rollin O. Russell, Lancaster Theological Seminary (Pennsylvania)

The Full letter reads: ...

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[volosong]

1. Church & State

"KEEP CHURCH AND STATE FOREVER SEPARATE" (U.S. Grant, speech at Des Moines, Iowa, 1875)

GOD DOES NOT PLAY POLITICS, TAKE BRIBES, OR ENDORSE CANDIDATES

"I believe in a wall between church and state so high that no one can climb over it."(Sen. Sam Ervin)

"There is nothing so despicable as a secret society that is based upon religious prejudice and that will attempt to defeat a man because of his religious beliefs. Such a society is like a cockroach--it thrives in the dark. So do those who combine for such an end."
(William Howard Taft)

"I never told my own religion, nor scrutinized that of another." (Thomas Jefferson, letter to Mrs. M. Harrison Smith, 1816)

"All religions united with government are more or less inimical to liberty. All separated from government, are compatible with liberty."
(Henry Clay, speech in House of Rep. March 24, 1818)

“Nothing is more dreaded than the national government meddling with religion.” (John Adams, 1812)

"I hold that in this country there must be complete severance of Church and State." (Theodore Roosevelt)

"I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute – where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be Catholic) how to act..." (John F. Kennedy, 1960)

[DaveSZ]

2. Senator Sam Ervin (D-NC)

Former Senator Sam Ervin, who directed the Senate Watergate investigation, died at the age of 88 on April 23. He was regarded as the foremost constitutional expert in Congress. Shortly before his death, he penned the following letter to President Reagan:



"Dear Mr. President: The Constitution is the wisest instrument of government the earth has ever known. If America is to endure as a free Republic as ordained by it, Presidents, Supreme Court justices and other public officers must do what they have sworn to do, that is, support it. "Despite my admiration for you, I am constrained by my duty to our country to assert that what you say and advocate, in respect for religion, shows that you do not understand the religious clauses of the First Amendment, and how obedience to them is essential to the preservation of religious freedom they are designed to secure to all Americans of all faiths. "You urge Congress to give Federal tax credits to parents who send their children to private schools to be taught the creeds of their churches. Your action in this respect violates the First Amendment, which forbids government to use the taxes of Caesar to finance the things of God. "You named an ambassador to the Vatican, an act in violation of the establishment clause, which in the words of its drafter, James Madison, forbids government to establish an official relationship with any religion. "You urge adoption of a constitutional amendment to authorize prayer in the public schools. The adoption of such an amendment would drastically alter the First Amendment, which commands the government be strictly neutral in respect to religion and leaves the task of teaching religion to children to the homes and churches of our land. "The government must keep its hands off religion if our people are to enjoy religious freedom, our most precious freedom."