A group of Texas clergy members has organized to ask politicians to “respect our faith.”
Over the past several election cycles, political leaders have increased their efforts to drag our churches into partisan politics to score political points. Sadly, examples of their efforts are becoming common place during campaign seasons.
In 2004, the Republican National Committee asked churches to turn over their membership rolls. A pastor in North Carolina expelled congregants who supported John Kerry for President. A pastor in Florida, after hosting Democratic elected officials, saw nothing wrong with turning a worship service into a political rally. In 2005, Texas Governor Rick Perry used a Fort Worth church as a backdrop for a bill signing; A group called the “Texas Restoration Project†is using hundreds of thousands of dollars from secret sources to organize pastors to support selected Republican candidates.
Activities such as these represent a threat to the integrity of our religious institutions. Our houses of worship should not be used for political rallies or photo-ops for politicians trying to win votes.
In response to this troubling trend, the Texas Faith Network is launching the Respect Our Faith campaign. This campaign seeks to establish and promote ethical standards that can guide both religious leaders’ involvement in electoral politics and political leaders’ involvement with religious communities.
There’s a pledge for clergy and laypeople to agree to on their website.
I’m just curious. Does this group just use right-wing examples or will they also take Sen. Ubama to task for lifting up authors who rely on “Biblical injunctions” to support continued tax spending on welfare programs?
After all, if the right has it wrong in using the Bible to legislate how we live our lives, than the left must also have it wrong in using the Bible to take our money and tell us how it should be spent.
I’m reading what I posted and it looks like they’re against either side politicizing religion. But I can’t speak for them myselves.
Actually, the examples listed above weren’t all “right-wing examples.” Looks like the group was targeting anyone who drags churches into partisan politics.
Thanks for bringing this up.
Perhaps we need to start turning over campaign tables at Chruches if they ever start showing up.