I need your help please - do you know of any Christian groups for Obama?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

It's a bit of a rush, and for a conversation within several Christian message groups.

Apparently Christians have a peer pressure enforcement amongst themselves to ensure that everyone votes Republican. Anyone on any Christian message board that protests or mentions Democrats or Obama gets reprimanded. Some Christians don't necessarily agree with this enforcement or these enforcers, but they feel Christian and need to be in a Christian community, so they put up with the crap, and ultimately end up voting McCain and never speaking up. We need to pull these Christians away from the fascist Republican ones. My sister is trying to do that, tho she's starting small.

Please advise if you know of any Christians for Obama, Democratic Christians, etc. Thanks

[ingac70]

1. .....

http://www.matthew25.org/

[Sarah Ibarruri]

5. Thanks! nt

[onehandle]

2. Here...

http://www.catholicdemocrats.org/cfo/
http://www.romancatholicsforobama.com/
http://www.catholicsforobama.blogspot.com/
http://10000.catholics4obama.com/

[Sarah Ibarruri]

4. Thanks! nt

[babylonsister]

3. There's links in here to wade through:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=christians+for+obama&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=

[Sarah Ibarruri]

6. Thanks! nt

[icnorth]

19. It doesn't look like

that "peer pressure enforcement" is working very well. :)

[Sarah Ibarruri]

28. From your mouth to God's ears ;-) nt

[Coyote_Bandit]

7. There are lots of Christians

that are not conservatives and there are several Christian organizations that support Obama. Non=profit groups are prohibited from endorsing candidates so you will be hard pressed to find direct endorsements from any non-profit church or religious group.

Fundamentalist Christians have faith based reasons for their political preferences. If you are not versed enough to speak their lingo and make an argument to them which is grounded in their belief system then you are jousting at windmills. You will get better return investing your energy, resources and efforts elsewhere.

FWIW, I have more years of Christian education than I care to reveal - and I have studied under (and with) some of the folks who have been very active politically among right wing Christians.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

11. My sister is a former Republican and evangelical, pro-life Christian

She dropped out of all that. It isn't me. I don't know any of that mumbo jumbo.

[Coyote_Bandit]

21. Good for Her

I hope she understands that she will not convince conservative Christians to question their political allegiance by talking about abortion or gay marriage or stem cell research or any of the other so-called moral christian political issues. Those issues just give the fundies something to feel self-righteous about - and they are issues which can be easily manipulated to make an emotional appeal.

All of the arguments which might cause conservative Christians to re-evaluate their political allegience are firmly grounded in systematic theology and traditional interpretation of Scripture. And they are arguments that have a long and well documented history in the church.

Your sister might be well advised to read about spiritual abuse. Many of the conservative evangelical Christian groups employ abusive methods. The pressure to conform without challenging or questioning which you reference is one of those methods.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

23. No, but fearful Christians in Christian message boards have e-mailed her SECRETLY....

and expressed their unhappiness at having to be in Christian groups that are Republican in nature. Yet they're afraid of leaving because they are very Christian and need a Christian environment. See what I mean?

I'm going to e-mail her and send her what you said. Thank you!!!

[Coyote_Bandit]

24. Simple fact is that it is easier

to surrender the responsibility for one's belief system to the self-righteous, power seeking, and controlling preacher in the pulpit than it is to do the dirty work of determining one's own belief system and its implications.

It's always easier to follow than to lead and it is always easier to go with the crowd.

It's usually far more rewarding to take the risk, put forth the effort and make your own decisions.

If memory serves me right there is a passage (somewhere in Exodus, I believe) where God admonishes the Israelites because they prefer to follow their leaders rather than go and hear God's voice for themselves.

There is nothing particularly new or unique about what is happening among fundamentalists and evangelicals. IMHO, there are only two things that will be effective in combating their efforts. First, they can be marginalized by greater unity among other groups. Second, individual believers can be convinced to abandon their views provided appeal is made to them in a manner that respects and utilizes the tenets of their faith.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

26. Well, my sister talks with the jargon of evangelicals, because she is one

I'm sending your stuff to her. It'd be great if you two could talk.

Anyhow, it's very interesting how in all those Christian message boards the people that dare approach her to tell her they agree with her only do so secretly, and some ask her to please not give them away to anyone else. It's SAD!!!

[rawtribe]

8. Here

http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=319

One of the surprising insights of the research is the significant inroads Sen. Obama has made among the Christian community, particularly compared to 2004. In fact, among born again voters there is a statistical dead-heat: 45% plan to vote for Sen. McCain, while 43% expect to cast a ballot for Sen. Obama. Even if Sen. McCain were to sweep the 10% who are undecided born again voters, he would fail to reach the 62% who rallied for President Bush in 2004.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

12. Thanks! nt

[Recursion]

9. Sojourners is a big one

I don't know that they've explicitly endorsed Obama but they're kind of the 900-pound gorilla of progressive Protestantism.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

13. Ok thanks! nt

[kath]

22. yes, Jim Wallis of Sojourners is very good - a real walk-the-walk Christian, like Jimmy Carter.

He's had a book or two published in the past couple of years.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

27. I think I've read Sojourners before. It's a magazine as well as an organization I think nt

[sinkingfeeling]

10. The pastor who was at W's. inaugurations endorsed Obama.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/95246/bush_family_pastor_attacks_mccain_and_endorses_obama/

Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell of the Windsor Village United Methodist Church gave the official benedictions at Bush's inauguration in 2001 and 2005. Although a controversial figure for his first inaugural benediction in 2001 that explicitly excluded non-Christians, and for his inspiration of Bush's "faith based initiatives," there is no question that he is in touch with what Republicans mean when they discuss values and character.

Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell just publicly denounced John McCain's morals and has endorsed Barack Obama.

[stopbush]

14. No, but every atheist I know is very much for Obama.

Including moi.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

15. I know, but there are also Christians for Obama.

I just needed the names of groups of these for my sis.

[ellacott]

16. You can go to mybarackobama and do a search for Christian groups

This is another site:

http://www.crossleft.org/

[Sarah Ibarruri]

17. Cool, thanks! nt

[jeepnstein]

18. You have to look to see what's really happening.

How many churches have fallen silent on the topic?

Many evangelicals have fallen out of love with the GOP for a variety of reasons. It boils down to the fact that the Republicans have been lying to them and paying them lip service for years with no results. They just get dragged to the dance every few years and then wait around for the next call.

The business of the Lord's church is not politics.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

29. Exactly! The Christian churches have to be separated from Republicanism and all politics

Everyone going to a church should have their politics private. For too long church leaders have convinced their flock that everyone should be Republican. Time to show everyone that Christians can belong to any party they wish.

[kath]

20. Here are a couple:

http://www.prolifeproobama.com/
TITLE: Can you be pro-life and support Senator Obama? The answer - upon even a moment's reflection - is unequivocally yes.

excerpt:
"As Ronald Reagan's legal counsel and as a dean and professor at Catholic University and Notre Dame, I have worked to put the law on the side of life where it belongs.

I believe we are all called to build a culture of life - but there's more to it than just hoping that the next Supreme Court justice somehow deals with Roe v. Wade. A bad economy is threatening to human life. Women facing the moral tragedy of abortion - are facing it, now, today - and they need a supportive community and tangible help, not condemnation.

But after 35 years, a new approach is needed. Senator Barack Obama's strengthening of support for prenatal care, health care, maternity leave, and adoption will make help drastically reduce the numbers of abortions. Studies confirm it..."
Read the Full Welcome Letter from Douglas Kmiec


Also check out Catholics United.org http://www.catholics-united.org/
Their flyer titled "Pro-life means action on behalf of ALL human life" is very good: http://www.catholics-united.org/?q=pro-life-means-all-life
here is an intro about that pamphlet on their home page:
October 5 is Pro-Life Sunday, and with the November elections just around the corner, some groups on the far right as using the occasion as an excuse to bombard Catholics and other people of faith with the message that all that matters in this election is a candidate's stated position on the legality of abortion. To help inform Catholics about the fullness of our Church's teachings on life, Catholics United has published a new flyer entitled "Pro-Life Means Action on Behalf of All Human Life."

We've seen this before. Although some of the groups that push this message are operating under a heartfelt desire to help the unborn, all-too-often this single-issue approach to values voting is designed to strongarm people of faith into voting for candidates who do not share our values. Candidates who believe in unjust and preemptive war, candidates who believe healthcare is a privilege for the most fortunate. Candidates who support torture and promote economic policies that place the wants of the few ahead of the needs of the many.

We produced this flyer at your request, and with the help of a Catholics United volunteer from Los Angeles. It helps paint a vision of a true pro-life agenda, and provides valuable talking points for activists who want to counter the far right's attempt to water down the social teachings of our church.


Their "Values Voter Guide" (which I just discovered) also looks good. Discusses both Obama and McCain with respect to 5 values: sanctity of life, human dignity, fairness and prosperity, national security, common good, and stewardship. http://www.catholics-united.org/files/values-voter-guide.pdf

[Sarah Ibarruri]

30. Thanks!!! nt

[Liberalatus]

25. Why run?

I'd start right in my own church. Especially if the pastor or congregation wants to start crossing that "Separation" line into the world of politics. I tell them exactly what the Republican party stands for, and exactly why its not the party with Christian beliefs. I show them Liberal values, and ask if that sounds like Christian values. I tell them how Republicans realized that all they had to do was pander to the Christians to get into power, and when their message didn't jive with Jesus' words, they just changed what it meant to be an "American" Christian. I tell them Republicans are USING, misinforming, and brainwashing them. I bring out my Bible, and show them the words in red, and ask them if that sounds like a Republican or Democrat. I tell them if they think that ONLY Republicans are REAL Patriots, or ONLY Republicans are the REAL Christians, than they are being small minded, and are not acting like a real American OR a real Christian. A real American would NEVER tell someone that they have to be a certain religion, or political party for that matter, to be a real American. A real Christian would not look down on others, judge them, and tell them that THEIR interpretation is the only true one. And I would even go so far as to say that there is no way a real Christian could support the Republican values over Democratic values, even though that seems hypocritical for me to say.
I live right in the middle of the Bible belt, and I have been asked to leave a few churches in my time. I stand up for my country, and my religion. I will not sit back and let them hijack either. Both are way too important and way too sacred. I know this isn't what you are looking for, but please consider at least making a small stand before just giving up and walking away. Someday I may have to give my life for America, or someday I may have to give my life for my Religion, and I willingly will for either. So, a little bit of ridicule or embarrassment or uncomfortability is a much easier price to pay.
But, to answer you more directly, I hear that Unitarian and Non-Denominational churches tend to be more Liberal.