Religious liberals gain new visibility

[Robbien]

By Caryle Murphy and Alan Cooperman
The Washington Post
Updated: 12:59 a.m. ET May 20, 2006

The religious left is back.

Long overshadowed by the Christian right, religious liberals across a wide swath of denominations are engaged today in their most intensive bout of political organizing and alliance-building since the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements of the 1960s, according to scholars, politicians and clergy members.

Religious liberals say their faith compels them to emphasize such issues as poverty, affordable health care and global warming. Disillusionment with the war in Iraq and opposition to Bush administration policies on secret prisons and torture have also fueled the movement.

"The wind is changing. Folks -- not just leaders -- are fed up with what is being portrayed as Christian values," said the Rev. Tim Ahrens, senior minister of First Congregational Church of Columbus, Ohio, and a founder of We Believe Ohio, a statewide clergy group established to ensure that the religious right is "not the only one holding a megaphone" in the public square.

"As religious people we're offended by the idea that if you're not with the religious right, you're not moral, you're not religious," said Linda Gustitus, who attends Bethesda's River Road Unitarian Church and is a founder of the new Washington Region Religious Campaign Against Torture. "I mean there's a whole universe out there different from the religious right. . . . People closer to the middle of the political spectrum who are religious want their voices heard."

. . .

"My gut tells me that all this foment is bound to create more involvement in politics," he said. "I don't know whether there's going to be more of them numerically, but you don't need greater numbers to have a political impact; all you need is to be more active. You already see that in Ohio and some other states, where Christian conservatives no longer have a monopoly on faith in politics."

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12879318/

The article goes on to describe some of the new organizations of Progressives.

[Erika]

1. The Catholics and Quakers are against W's immigration

policies. It appears they don't believe people should show I.D. cards for humane services for the needy.

But W's bud's, Falwell and Robertson, only care about the brown/black babies if they are producing income for them like in the diamond mines of South Africa.

[NMMNG]

2. Huh

"As religious people we're offended by the idea that if you're not with the religious right, you're not moral, you're not religious,"

Maybe she could explain that concept to those who think if you're not a theist you're not moral.

[papau]

3. religious liberals do try to include morality is not related to non-belief

or which belief in all discussions.