For the past few Wednesday evenings, several dozen Jews and Episcopalians have gotten together at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle to talk about their common religious values — and their shared frustrations.
In living rooms in Everett, Tacoma and Spokane, similar meetings of moderate and progressive religious groups are taking place, and when they do, a common theme invariably emerges: that their voices are not being heard above the roar of the more-organized religious right.
"It's a shame to me that the forces on the right have hijacked the Christian message to only give a narrow perspective on a few issues," said Angelina Godoy, a member of St. Mark's and a professor at the University of Washington who's been attending the workshop at St. Mark's.
In an election year marked heavily by the intersection of religion and politics, they are frustrated that discourse has centered largely on two issues: abortion and gay marriage. They're dismayed that, in the eyes of some, being faithful automatically means voting Republican. And they're frustrated that lost in the rhetoric surrounding abortion and gay marriage are issues central to their faith: alleviating poverty and working for peace and justice.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002074957_religleft28m.html
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