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Abuses of faith in this election season
In recent debates between tea party-endorsed Senate candidates and their Democratic opponents, faith has emerged as a campaign issue.
Calling himself "a pro-life Christian" in opening remarks, Kentucky candidate Rand Paul said, "I'm disheartened that my opponent has chosen to attack my religious beliefs," referring to Jack Conway's campaign ad that questioned Paul's beliefs on the bible, faith-based initiatives and 'Aqua Buddha.' (For more on 'Aqua Buddha' click here.)
In the Delaware debate between Senate candidates, Christine O'Donnell said, "I would argue there are more people who support my Catholic faith than his Marxist beliefs," alluding to a column written by Chris Coons two decades ago which he characterizes as 'a joke.'
With polls showing that voters rank the economy as a top issue, why are the faith lives of candidates up for debate?
You have to wonder. When political ads focus on a college prank pulled by your opponent what else could that money have gone to? When candidates make the case to voters based on the title of an article written by their opponent after a semester abroad in college aren't there more pressing issues they could be talking about?
This is why last week, Sojourners asked its supporters to send emails to Republicans, Democrats and Tea Party organizations to give us a break from all the negative ads.
For a long time I fought the secular Left that wanted to banish any discussion of faith and values from politics. I also battled the Religious Right that didn't distinguish between their faith and their political party. Faith should never be used as a PR stunt for influencing a specific voter demographic nor should it be used as a political bludgeon to be wielded as a campaign weapon.
There might be bigger abuses of faith this election season or greater culprits, but these two abuses caught my eye this past week.
First, I saw Jack Conway's ad against Rand Paul in Kentucky's Senatorial contest. In this ad Conway attacks Paul and questions his faith by repeating a story from Paul's college days. The allegation is that Paul was part of a group at Baylor University that made satire of religion, called the Bible a "hoax" and tied another student up and forced her to bow down to "aqua Buddha."
Second was Christine O'Donnell's new line of attack against her Senate opponent, Chris Coons. She said, "I would argue there are more people who support my Catholic faith than his Marxist beliefs." Perhaps that will help her campaign to persuade the people of Delaware that she is not a witch (as she had to assert in her last ad).
In this campaign season what we have mostly seen is the abuse of faith to scare or offend voters in order to win elections, as opposed to using the resource of faith to help guide our moral compass on important policy issues. I have long argued that faith and public life belong together and that their healthy connection can deepen our civil and moral discourse. But this fall's campaign use of religion for partisan purposes is not quite what I had in mind.
The deep religious teachings of the "common good" could have guided our discussions about the role of government in an economic crisis. The scriptural priority of the poor could have led us to focus on the significance of the new and alarming poverty rate increases. Just war criteria could have been used to evaluate our nine year war in Afghanistan and even made it an issue in this campaign. Religious instructions to love our neighbors and welcome "the stranger" would have been a nice contrast to the political use of false rumors about undocumented immigrants. And the command to be good "stewards" of God's creation, found in all our faith traditions, might have caused us to reflect on whether the BP oil spill might cause us to reflect on our energy future. But I have missed all that this fall. And in the midst of the most poisonous election campaign in recent memory, we certainly have lost many values important to faith, like humility, honesty, compassion, patience, civility and, oh yes, truth.
By
Jim Wallis
|
October 21, 2010; 5:40 PM ET
| Category:
politics
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Posted by: woodstock-41 | October 23, 2010 8:00 PM
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"BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A DIME? (ooopps, 2 Dollars)"?
-
Remember: U.nited S.tates is a "REPUBLIC" and NOt a DEMOCRACY!!
WHEREFORE: Uphold & Make Honorable, "U.nited N.ations Day" (..Week//Month).
VOTE: GRIDARiAN-DEMOCRACY" instead! aka APOCALYPTIC-GOVERNMENT!
http://www.un.org/en/events/unday/2010/index.shtml
- But, for Now:
VOTE: Sara Palin For PREZ! and MiTT ROMNEY for V. PREZ!
Yes! Cross Voters Registry-Lines, if need be *
Note: Don't Worry about any of them, nor their constituents for attempts to "Christianize" U.S. of A"s.
Secret: The "CIA" and CO; will make sure of that [NOt Xrstianizing U.S.]. A Scout's Honor!
___
* Be careful of the new-VOTERs/voting [Rigged Computerized] Machines, this Mid-Term Election. It will be a great test of Times for either 'Sweetening USA' future or to see if it 'Sour's USA's future/prospects in this coming mid-term [USA'] Election(s) [[for Now & or Future]]! Soo
Brace Ye selves to be Flummoxed once again by them Jealous incumbent Politico's (aka sicko's, or say, desperado's)!
Good Riddance to ALL, Every & Any "Nepotist" U.S. Constitution Usurpers, or Monopolizers of such via likes madame Hillary Clinton & her Irish Ventriloquist 'Bill' Et al!
PS: New Yorks Monopolist Senator, Mr. Chuck Schumer also needs to say Goodbye! But But Vote for "ANTHONY WIENER" a good honest guy.
Note: Anthony Wiener should be MAYOR of the up & coming, "New N.Y.C." When New-World Trade Center Goes Up/Opens for International BIZ+!
And N.Y.C. Mayor BLOOMBERG & CO., is a PUTZ! a 3rd Term? Power Addict trying for a 4th term?!
Oye...! Oye Givalt! Oye Vazemeer! Oye what a Mishuganna Chazerim! He or they, can't Buy Votes anymore! Even when Corporations (as if be Individuals//Entity's//a Person) can give Unanimously & Fathomlessly!!
"G-d(s) Chosen People" Syndrome is Dead! instead, sing, Hello Hello the "NATURALLY Selected" on S.pace S.hip Earth. Goodbye Israel & other Jealous Folks & their Evil Nations!
In "IT" WE TRUST! so Bless The new APOCALYPTIC Huumate Race in good ole U.S. of A.! Good riddance [Pre-Apocalyptic] Jealous & Apathetic, Hypocratic, HUMAN's (unlike US HUUMATE(s) on S.S. Earth(s))!
Posted by: woodstock-41 | October 23, 2010 7:50 PM
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I have been reading the articles here on this subject.
I suppose I don't really get that this political season is different from the last or the one before that.
Religion is a huge issue to voters. The more fundamental Christian one is, the more he/she loudly proclaims "christ is in my heart" - the more votes he/she gets.
This little spat back and forth in the Conway/Paul campaigns, and the back and forth in the O'Donnell/Coons campaigns are just more of the same. One trying to prove how much more Christian he/she is than the other.
If you don't like this atmosphere, the time to protest, often and clearly, was when and as the question of Obama's faith became such a political football. What is the latest statistic - more than 1/2 of self-proclaimed conservative do not believe Obama is a Christian.
We are living with faith as a politicians game because the conservatives made it one.
Posted by: amelia45 | October 22, 2010 2:47 PM
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Ooopps.
"A Consciousness" Who's time via Holyi TiME is Come. NOt only "A Prophecy"!