Posted on 07/03/2004 7:04:00 AM PDT by truthandlife
The Southern Baptist Convention, a conservative denomination closely aligned with President Bush, said it was offended by the Bush-Cheney campaign's effort to use church rosters for campaign purposes.
"I'm appalled that the Bush-Cheney campaign would intrude on a local congregation in this way," said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
"The bottom line is, when a church does it, it's nonpartisan and appropriate. When a campaign does it, it's partisan and inappropriate," he said. "I suspect that this will rub a lot of pastors' fur the wrong way."
The Bush campaign defended a memo in which it sought to mobilize church members by providing church directories to the campaign, arranging for pastors to hold voter-registration drives, and talking to various religious groups about the campaign.
Other religious organizations also criticized the document as inappropriate, suggesting that it could jeopardize churches' tax-exempt status by involving them in partisan politics.
Campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel said the document, distributed to campaign staff, was well within the law.
"People of faith have a right to take part in the political process, and we're reaching out to every supporter of President Bush to become involved in the campaign," Stanzel said.
One section of the document lists 22 "coalition coordinator" duties and lays out a timeline for various activities targeting religious voters. By July 31, for example, the coordinator is to:
_Send your church directory to your state Bush-Cheney '04 headquarters or give to a BC04 field representative.
_Identify another conservative church in your community who we can organize for Bush.
_Recruit 5 people in your church to help with the voter registration project.
_Talk to your pastor about holding a citizenship Sunday and voter registration drive.
The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the effort "is a shameless attempt to misuse and abuse churches for partisan political ends." Lynn said his organization would be "watching closely to see how this plays out in the pews."
The Rev. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance, a Washington advocacy group that has been critical of the Christian right, said the document was "totally inappropriate."
"We are alarmed that this initiative by the Bush-Cheney campaign could lure religious organizations and religious leaders into dangerous territory where they risk losing their tax-exempt status and could be violating the law," Gaddy said.
Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, said "efforts aimed at transforming houses of worship into political campaign offices stink to high heaven."
None of those groups, however, has been as supportive of the Bush administration as the Nashville-based Southern Baptists.
Bush spoke to the Southern Baptists' recent national convention, by video link, for the third year in a row. Outgoing SBC President Jack Graham called the president "a man of personal faith whose leadership is great for America."
On Friday, Land said: "It's one thing for a church member motivated by exhortations to exercise his Christian citizenship to go out and decide to work on the Bush campaign or the Kerry campaign. It's another and totally inappropriate thing for a political campaign to ask workers who may be church members to provide church member information through the use of directories to solicit partisan support."
I am a Southern Baptist in MS, but I understand there is a large SBC group is southern Ohio, which might be critical for Bush. How a Christian can vote for pro-abortion Kerry is beyond me.
Sheesh, what's the big deal. Here's a call to action:
Every freeper with a church directory, mail one into the Bush-Cheney campaign and bypass the church "leadership.
FREEPERS are direct action folk. My directory will be in the mail this afternoon and I'll just pick up a new one tomorrow.
So someone giving your name to someone else compromises your faith just how?
Maybe we should make a federal law against Christians organizing politically to save this country from liberal ruination.
This is really making more sense now.
Black communities are totally structured around their churches, so I only meant that this is where Repubs have to look for black support. You are right about the invitations. However, there is a distinct possibility that white churches would lose their tax esempt status if they do what the black churches do. ddI'm sure after years of Dems going into black churches, they would not render the same privileges to whites and Repubs. Something about a double standard.
I just want to see the Christian community wake up and realize that God probably expects us to take part in the political process to stave off evil. He did say to occupy until He comes.
vaudine
Agreed. It seems that many see that as an act against God. This is absurd.
Let's hide our heads in the sand and hope the problems go away. Prayer is first. Then Action.
WAKE UP!!!
I didn't say anything about making it against the law for Christians to organize nor did I say anything about this compromising my faith. These aren't my positions at all, they're your false summations of them.
In fact I wish Christians would organize more often. I don't even believe political speech in churches should be against the law for that matter, as it is now. Mine wouldn't engage in it, but if churches desire to do so that's their problem.
Legalities notwithstanding, I think the idea of political operatives using volunteers to gather data without consent for electioneering at best lacks class. This is not the same as putting a sign up sheet on a bulletin board. I don't see how it's a good thing that I sign up to volunteer at my church picnic then have my personal info wind up in some idiot pol's database.
All I'm saying is that it's an ill conceived idea. Would you want the info your church has, including where you worship going into Hillary's database?
Jessie Jackson came to our school during class time to talk about voting. You know what he was aiming at. Democrats can spread their message...why can't the Republicans? Just do it after church time.
P.S. We have UU in our area. They don't know what to believe!
I don't think I would. I would find it funny that they would think they could sway my vote with a letter. Is any literature from the Bush campaign going to incorporate the church from which the list came? I see this as a non-issue. They can get my name from any number of sources. Big deal.
The rest, like voter registration drives, again a non-issue to me. No one can make anyone vote for one or the other candidates. It's kind of like reaching both ends of the spectrum: MTVs Rock the Vote/Church directory lists. Some may even get double-whammied!
Same here.
And I trust my Pastor and deacons. They wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.
I get that your point is giving info without your permission. Having said that, I gave my own contact info to the Kerry campaign and let me just say, the night I got a call from a young man soliciting donations was the night Kerry may have lost a volunteer. It made my week. The guy was more ignorant than I could believe. :)
Amen AAA.
Get over it, whiny Baptists.
From a Baptist here, don't believe everything you read.
My comment was to the whiny Baptists, not all Baptists. :-)
It seems we are supposed to complain only. Organizing is somehow Unholy.
Sheesh. We are our own worst enemy.
Good for them.
So they support the left? Or just think that prayer will stop the left?
So you support sitting in the corner?
The BC campaign asumes that people will get permission to give a name. I guess the right wants things but doesn't want to be bothered.
Great strategy.
I am a Baptist and I agree 100% with you.
Let's sit in the pew on Sunday and pray then stay at home on Tuesday and pray the left does too!
This is sick. I would be willing to place a bet on active voters based on this thread.
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