E. J. Dionne Jr.: Keeping Faith With Religious Freedom

[Pirate Smile]

There was no obvious political benefit in David Obey's decision to take on the defense of religious minorities at the Air Force Academy. Because he stood up for their rights on the floor of the House of Representatives, the Wisconsin Democrat found himself accused of "denigrating and demonizing Christians."

Obey is unbowed. "I think if you asked God, he'd say the Ten Commandments were a road map for living," Obey said in a recent interview. "Instead, you have these self-appointed pharisees who think the Ten Commandments can be turned into a stiletto to use against their political opponents."

-snip-
Obey rose to his feet and demanded that Hostettler's last words be stricken from the record, which they eventually were. "If Jesus is watching what's happening on the floor of the House of Representatives, with people behaving in such a blasphemous fashion," Obey said this week, "well, I am reminded of that passage, 'Jesus wept.' " Obey said that when he first came to Congress, "there would have been universal condemnation of Hostettler by both parties." In this case, Obey said he was approached afterward by a single sympathetic Republican. Obey was comforted that Jewish House members "appreciated that a Christian would speak out."

-snip-
It's not easy being David Obey, but he doesn't seem to mind. "You can't win fights," he says, "unless you wage them." Maybe when he leaves Congress, no time soon, I hope, Obey can run seminars on courage -- and faithfulness.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/24/AR2005062401416.html

[kestrel91316]

1. It is brave souls like this.................

that stand between us and the abyss.

[rodeodance]

2. says some want to use 10 commandments against their political opponents.

......Obey is unbowed. "I think if you asked God, he'd say the Ten Commandments were a road map for living," Obey said in a recent interview. "Instead, you have these self-appointed pharisees who think the Ten Commandments can be turned into a stiletto to use against their political opponents."............



.......Let's be clear: The academy's brass are not in trouble because they allowed evangelical Christian cadets to speak of their faith to other cadets. That is their right. The issue is whether officers higher in the chain of command used their positions of authority to promote their faith. That is coercion, and it is neither right nor just. It is also about whether evangelical Christian students were allowed to create an atmosphere in which students who did not share their faith were, to be charitable, marginalized. (One father of a cadet said his son was called "a filthy Jew.'') Since Jews, Hindus, Muslims and atheists -- not to mention Christians who are not evangelicals -- all proudly serve in the armed forces of the United States, there are few institutions in which the imperative for religious liberty is more important.

[rodeodance]

3. he works for women, kids causes also

,,,,,Obey struggles to balance the demands of his faith with the obligations of pluralism -- and for this, he receives few rewards. Recently, he offered an amendment to increase funding for child care, job training and domestic abuse programs as a way of "taking some of the pressure off women to have abortions." The idea, Obey said, was to challenge those "whose concern for life ends at the checkbook's edge."

Obey says one of his staffers was berated by a family planning lobbyist who said: "How dare he imply that women would succumb to pressure?"

It's not easy being David Obey, but he doesn't seem to mind. "You can't win fights," he says, "unless you wage them." Maybe when he leaves Congress, no time soon, I hope, Obey can run seminars on courage -- and faithfulness.