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www.christianalliance.org/site/...or.htm
The Church and State Debate: Getting it Right
Write a letter to your senator now!
Increasingly, Americans are thinking and talking about the role of religion and politics—how they intersect, and to what extent religious values should inform public policy that affects us all.
This is a vital debate. The Christian Alliance for Progress believes that our faith values are integral to our perspective on politics—a necessary perspective to bring to the public debate. But today we see a dangerous trend in the exploitation of Christianity by the radical Christian right. They demand acceptance of their ideology as the sole expression of Christianity in political conversation.
They seek a simplistic discussion that frames issues in terms of pro-faith or anti-faith. This distortion shows their intolerance of any Christian perspective that is different. We believe that genuine Christian values are inconsistent with many of the political positions advocated by the radical Christian Right.
As Americans discuss these issues, the Christian Alliance for Progress is refusing to surrender any longer these questions. These are the challenges from the radical Christian right we’re seeking to answer:
The leaders of the Religious Right have misappropriated substantially all the language of Christianity. After 30 years of relentless effort by the Christian Right many Americans today equate “being Christian” with, for example:
• Making sure that gay and lesbian people do not have full rights as citizen
• Making distraught pregnant women into criminals
• Suppressing scientific information and medical research
• Blocking honest education about human reproduction and replacing it with enforced ignorance or actual fallacies
• Promoting war
They are using this influence to control and manipulate politics to advance their ideology. Despite rhetoric painting themselves as victims whose faith is under siege, the political and religious leaders of the Christian right have become increasingly bold. They loudly proclaim credit for gains at the ballot box for their preferred politicians, and they are increasingly vocal about their political strategies and triumphs to demonstrate their clout. Indeed, their Justice Sunday events have featured both the Senate majority leader and the House Majority Leader.
The Separation of Church and State is one of America’s oldest and most basic doctrines. In the current debate churches and worship are not yet threatened as they once were. Rather, it is now the state that is at risk of being controlled by the church. Given the rise in power of the Christian Right, the principle of separation is vital to protect the government from being dominated by one version of one faith. Why does the Christian Right want to tear down the wall? The Christian Right seeks to institutionalize and impose it’s beliefs on all Americans through the de facto control of the state. But as Christians we should find strength in Jesus’ admonition to “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.” The goal of the radical Christian Right is to be the government, they want to be Caesar.
Please join this effort by making your voice heard with the U.S. Senate as they question Judge John Roberts, President Bush’s nominee to the Supreme Court. Write a letter to your senator now!
The Church and State Debate: Getting it Right
Write a letter to your senator now!
Increasingly, Americans are thinking and talking about the role of religion and politics—how they intersect, and to what extent religious values should inform public policy that affects us all.
This is a vital debate. The Christian Alliance for Progress believes that our faith values are integral to our perspective on politics—a necessary perspective to bring to the public debate. But today we see a dangerous trend in the exploitation of Christianity by the radical Christian right. They demand acceptance of their ideology as the sole expression of Christianity in political conversation.
They seek a simplistic discussion that frames issues in terms of pro-faith or anti-faith. This distortion shows their intolerance of any Christian perspective that is different. We believe that genuine Christian values are inconsistent with many of the political positions advocated by the radical Christian Right.
As Americans discuss these issues, the Christian Alliance for Progress is refusing to surrender any longer these questions. These are the challenges from the radical Christian right we’re seeking to answer:
The leaders of the Religious Right have misappropriated substantially all the language of Christianity. After 30 years of relentless effort by the Christian Right many Americans today equate “being Christian” with, for example:
• Making sure that gay and lesbian people do not have full rights as citizen
• Making distraught pregnant women into criminals
• Suppressing scientific information and medical research
• Blocking honest education about human reproduction and replacing it with enforced ignorance or actual fallacies
• Promoting war
They are using this influence to control and manipulate politics to advance their ideology. Despite rhetoric painting themselves as victims whose faith is under siege, the political and religious leaders of the Christian right have become increasingly bold. They loudly proclaim credit for gains at the ballot box for their preferred politicians, and they are increasingly vocal about their political strategies and triumphs to demonstrate their clout. Indeed, their Justice Sunday events have featured both the Senate majority leader and the House Majority Leader.
The Separation of Church and State is one of America’s oldest and most basic doctrines. In the current debate churches and worship are not yet threatened as they once were. Rather, it is now the state that is at risk of being controlled by the church. Given the rise in power of the Christian Right, the principle of separation is vital to protect the government from being dominated by one version of one faith. Why does the Christian Right want to tear down the wall? The Christian Right seeks to institutionalize and impose it’s beliefs on all Americans through the de facto control of the state. But as Christians we should find strength in Jesus’ admonition to “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.” The goal of the radical Christian Right is to be the government, they want to be Caesar.
Please join this effort by making your voice heard with the U.S. Senate as they question Judge John Roberts, President Bush’s nominee to the Supreme Court. Write a letter to your senator now!
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