Religious Left Says It's Ready for Major Political Push

[Khephra]

NEW YORK -- With a full-page ad in the New York Times, a flashlight-illuminated protest on Broadway and a plea from rock star Bono for spiritually motivated, poverty-fighting activism, the religious left has sent a message to the presidential candidates and the voters during the Republican Convention.

After years of impotence, their movement is back, progressive religious leaders say.

While it is hard to tell if that assertion has real political muscle behind it, political analysts on the right as well as the left agree that the movement appears determined to make the case that God is not a Republican.

"What we're seeing in this campaign is a reinvigoration of the progressive religious voice," said John Podesta, president of the Washington-based Center for American Progress and a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton.

more........

http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/okeefe090204.html

[radwriter0555]

1. You mean like they're gonna take a REALLY BIG SHIT?

Sorry.

The visual, the grunting, the straining, it's so GOP, it's so... all THERE.

[gWbush is Mabus]

2. In fact, God is not even an American (gasp)

[reprobate]

23. Hey! Them's fighting words. Somewhere. For someone. I guess.

IOW, you might be right.

But what about the Goddess? American or just Earth.

[calico1]

3. I can remember that during the Vietnam war

a lot of clergy members were in all the protests and marches. They were involved in the civil rights demonstrations too. Would love to see them get involved that way again.

[newscaster]

4. They cant. If they got i9nvolved as they once did, they might lose

their tax exemptions.

[Khephra]

6. They can if they stick to issues

What the Right is doing is pushing candidates. That's the difference and the reason that the Religious Left was able to move the Civil Rights battle forward.

[Bread and Circus]

9. It's funny because churches around here post

all sorts of "right leaning" messages on their billboards
out front of the church yard.

Rural Christianity and the Republican Party are in bed together throughout rural America.

As a matter of fact, I believe I read recently that the strongest predictor of Republican affiliation is the frequency of going to church.

The indoctrination occurs when people are quite young as well in my opinion. Lot's of teenagers around here consider themselves Republicans and they don't even know why.

69% of people in my County voted Bush last time.

The Right will continue to win the war for the American soul unless people in the cities wake up and realize that the transformation and indoctrination has swept the rural areas and will continue to work in.

[sangh0]

10. You're wrong...Very wrong

Religious leaders are allowed to campaign so long as they do not use their religious organization to do so.

Religious leaders don't get tax exemptions; Their employers do.

[Mokito]

28. Yeah...look at how Falwell and Robertson were treated.

I think that maybe the time really has come for religious progressives to get more involved. After all it are the repubs who are yelling about more "faith based initiatives", so let's get give them what they ask for. In some way it can turn out to be win-win situation for progressives as penalties against religious progressives would once again lay bare the sheer hypocrisy of the repub party.

just my 2 cents.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

5. Great news

let's just do it in a way that doesn't galvanize the enemy camp of fundies... or better YET converts them to our side!

[Khephra]

7. This group says it's non-partisan, but note the phrase I boldfaced

Church Groups Roll Out National Campaign Before Election

9/2/2004 3:07:00 PM


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: National Desk

Contact: Nancy Hoch, 816-753-8987, 816-853-7739 (cellular), or Laura Barrett, 314-443-5915 (cellular) or 314-645-5915, both for Rolling Thunder

CHICAGO, Sept. 2 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Church-goers from 1,600 congregations in 18 states will confront state and federal politicians over immigration, transportation and housing policies in the Gamaliel Foundation's Rolling Thunder campaign. Twenty- six mass meetings, attended by a total of 67,000 people, will be held leading up to the November elections. Many of the meetings will be held in swing states in the Midwest.

Rolling Thunder kicked-off in Oakland, Calif., on July 15. At that meeting, Senator Barbara Boxer's (D-CA) agreement to co- sponsor immigration reform and the SOLVE ACT (Safe Orderly Legal Visas and Enforcement) was announced.

The SOLVE Act provides a realistic path to citizenship for all hardworking, taxpaying immigrants and a genuine earned legalization program for undocumented workers.

"Our Rolling Thunder meetings provide a powerful way to inform legislators and hold them accountable on issues that matter to progressive people of faith," said Greg Galluzzo, Executive Director of the Gamaliel Foundation. "And we want to include candidates in our conversations. Pres. Bush has expressed interest in attending the St. Louis and other Rolling Thunder meetings and we have also invited Sen. Kerry."

"There is too much at stake this year not to do something major. It's essential that we mobilize our considerable resources and motivate people to vote. As people of faith, we must reclaim and rename our power as citizens."

Pivotal to Rolling Thunder is Gamaliel Votes, a non-partisan campaign that will register 60,000 new voters as well as educate and motivate 450,000 registered voters.

"We must build the power of our neighborhoods and congregations not just locally, but at the national level," said Gamaliel President Ann Smith. "It's not enough to register people; we must ensure they show up at the polls. And we must make sure this time that every vote is counted."

Gamaliel is poised to become a strong international organization that moves national, state and local campaigns through a coordinated strategy. Gamaliel has three affiliates in South Africa.

Galluzzo also wants to form meaningful alliances with other groups and organizations. "Organized people and organized money equal power. Working together we can make the changes we so desperately need right now. We want to expand the number of people who participate in democracy in a progressive, not repressive way."

The coming years will be crucial ones in bringing Gamaliel's grassroots techniques to a new national level. But if Rolling Thunder is any indication, that rumble in the background will soon crescendo to maximum decibel level.

Background:

On the local and state levels Gamaliel's affiliates have achieved results that mean more access to opportunity, better healthcare, improved transportation, expanded citizen participation in democracy, and much more.

In Missouri health care coverage was won for 90,000 low income children. In Wisconsin a suburban bus line was won. In New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, affiliates were able to get grassroots leaders on metropolitan transportation commissions. These kinds of results are repeated over and over in every state and city in Gamaliel's network of affiliates.

Guided by diverse expressions of faith, the people working in this grassroots organization are ordinary people taking responsibility to make democracy work, without blurring the lines between church and state and without strident campaigns about personal behavior. Gamaliel is carrying on the strong historical tradition of progressive social movements within the faith community.

------

The Gamaliel Foundation represents over a million multi-faith, multi-racial, church-going citizens working on real social justice problems -- and finding real solutions -- in an organizing network of 55 affiliates in 18 states across the U. S. and three in South Africa.

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=35586

[xchrom]

22. my church is involved with gamaliel

it's EXTREMELY effective.

[AspenRose]

8. "Onward, Christian Soldiers" - take your faith back from the GOP

eom

[mom cat]

11. I used to hate that song till I found out that it was the rallying cry of

the Prohibitionist as they marched into the bars to drag their drunken husbands home. They were some of the first feminists and rallied around Prohibition to make the lives of women, children and the elderly safer from the lethal combination of alcohol and testosterone. I saw some of that fire in New York this Sunday as the soldiers for truth were marching...:dem:

[Kimber Scott]

12. Take Back Our Faith Petition

I found this in my email box today:

FaithfulAmerica.org is an interfaith group with members from many traditions, but we wanted to tell you about a great campaign being run by our Christian friends at Sojourners.

Sojourners is responding to Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and others on the Christian Right who claim that God has taken a side in this election and that Christians should vote only for George W. Bush.

The campaign asks how the love of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and his good news to the poor, have been co-opted by the political agenda of the Religious Right.

If you feel like your faith has been hijacked, click below to sign the Sojourners petition and tell America that the Religious Right does not speak for you.


www.takebackourfaith.org/faithful

Sojourners' "God is Not a Republican. Or a Democrat" petition ran Monday, August 30th, as a full-page ad in The New York Times. It was also placed in the hometown papers of Falwell and Robertson. More than 45,000 people have signed the petition so far. You can donate and help continue to place the ad in newspapers across America - including your own.

When you sign the petition, you'll also have the chance to sign up for Sojourners' weekly updates and online newsletter. We highly recommend the Sojourners newsletter to you as one of the best publications around on faith, culture and politics.

www.takebackourfaith.org/faithful



Blessings,
The FaithfulAmerica.org Team


"It is the responsibility of...every evangelical Christian, every pro-life Catholic, every traditional Jew...to get serious about re-electing President Bush."
- Jerry Falwell
The New York Times
July 16, 2004

[mzmolly]

18. Cool ... Thank YOU.

:hi:

[Kimber Scott]

26. Here's an interesting article I found on that site

http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=soj0409&article=040910

Scared to Talk Politics in Church?

Sometimes I think that the most powerful and popular denomination in America is a stealth one. It’s not the Baptists or the Catholics or the Methodists or the Assemblies of God. It’s "radio-orthodoxy"—the set of beliefs promoted by religious broadcasting. Do you doubt the power of radio-orthodoxy? Just try contradicting it, especially in an election year.

The fact is, it’s hard to be a good pastor any time, but during an election year in a country blanketed by religious broadcasting, it gets even harder. How do we preach to and lead our churches in a year like this—with an important and divisive election underway? Over the years, I have tried three main options (I’m not proud about this):

more...

[tomfodw]

29. Just remember...

...God is not a Christian, either...

[Kimber Scott]

30. Me, neither!

But, there's nothing wrong with practicing a faith. Just as long as you don't try to make everyone else do it, it can be a good thing.

[tomfodw]

32. Absolutely

But what we say about God says more about us than it says about God. I'm Jewish, and although I don't think Jesus is the Messiah, I don't dispute that Christians ultimately pray (in their own way) to the same God I do.

[cap]

13. this would be great if we can encompass

a wide open spirituality to liberal causes...have a place for spirituality both when its in a church and when its not

people really need a new open generous spirituality

[realFedUp]

14. Good news

This is a civil rights issue.

[natrat]

15. sweet

didnt even know there was a religous left

[DeepModem Mom]

20. In the Sixties, there was ONLY the religious left --

marching for civil rights, and against the VietNam war. For many of us who were alive at that time, the rise of the "religious" right has been a tragic aberration, a highjacking of yet another American institution, the church.

[colonel odis]

16. real christians vote democrat

n/t

[mzmolly]

17. Glad to see this! Thanks for sharing...

:hi:

[Wind Dancer]

19. I have heard more complaints about

the hijacking of religion from the many Christians in NC, located directly in the bible belt. True people of faith don't believe these greedy, selfish criminals represent God or anything remotely similar. Jesus would be thrown out on the streets and not allowed into the Republican Party.

[Politicub]

21. A sleeping giant has been awakened

The religious left has been responsible for some of most progressive movements this country has ever seen. I'm not religious myself, but I'm happy to band together with all like minded folk in unity to defeat Bush.

This is one of the key distinctions between the GOP and the Democrats. Differences are valued, not shunned. That's one reason why it's so difficult to get our message out sometimes -- because it can't be boiled down to a pithy soundbite,

[DURHAM D]

24. Sleeping - yes, Giant - I hope.

[Politicub]

25. Come on now, have a little faith n/t

O8)

[liberalcanuck]

27. God Bless America -- and no one else! n/t

[Pallas180]

31. Maybe the left, us, have finally gotten it together. I begin to

think the democratic party has left us and the prinicples of the
democratic party.

Now that we're rid of Zell Miller, we ought to get rid of Daschle, too timid, too quiet, too low key, and what corporation is his wife
a lobbyist for? Isn't that a conflict of interest.

We need stronger leadership for Senate leader.....and not the DLC whatever the heck that is.