Posted on 10/26/2005 6:29:55 PM PDT by jern
Danforth Criticizes Christian Sway in GOP Oct 26 8:51 PM US/Eastern Email this story
By DANIEL CONNOLLY Associated Press Writer
LITTLE ROCK
The influence of evangelical Christians in the Republican Party hurts the organization and divides the country, former U.S. Sen. John Danforth said during a visit to the Bill Clinton School of Public Service on Wednesday.
Danforth, a former Republican senator from Missouri and an Episcopal priest, met with students during a seminar and held a luncheon talk at the graduate school.
"I think that the Republican Party fairly recently has been taken over by the Christian conservatives, by the Christian right," he said in an interview after his talks. "I don't think that this is a permanent condition but I think this has happened, and that it's divisive for the country."
He also said the evangelical Christian influence would be bad for the party in the long run.
Republican National Committee spokeswoman Tracy Schmitt declined comment.
Danforth, who recently served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, made similar criticism of the party in an opinion article published by the New York Times in June. In that article, he called for religious moderates to take part in public life.
People of faith have an obligation to be in politics, he said.
"I think the question arises when a political party becomes identified with one particular sectarian position and when religious people believe that they have the one answer, that they understand God's truth and they embody it politically," he said.
"Nothing is more dangerous than religion in politics and government when it becomes divisive," he said. "I'll give you examples: Iraq. Northern Ireland. Palestine."
Danforth, considered a conservative on social issues, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1976 and served three terms. In his final term he played a key role in defending Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas against claims of sexual harassment during bitter confirmation hearings. Thomas eventually was confirmed.
Under Democratic President Bill Clinton, Danforth was appointed special counsel in an investigation of the deadly 1993 siege at the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, Texas.
The current President Bush appointed Danforth as special peace envoy to Sudan and later as ambassador to the United Nations.
Danforth was sworn in as ambassador in July 2004 and resigned in January. Wednesday, Danforth cited his age _ now 69 _ and his desire to move back to his St. Louis home as his reasons for leaving.
He most recently has worked for the Bryan Cave law firm in St. Louis. Former U.S. Sen. David Pryor, D-Ark. and dean of the Clinton School for Public Service, invited him to visit the school.
The school, housed in a remodeled red brick train station on the grounds of the Clinton presidential library, opened in August and currently has 16 students enrolled in its two-year master's degree program. It is a branch of the University of Arkansas.
"I thought that the students were bright and highly motivated and it was encouraging to have the opportunity to spend some time with them," Danforth said. "I thought the physical facilities were wonderful."
The school plays an important role, he said.
"I think it's important to encourage and inspire people who have an interest in public service and to equip them for public service," he said. "But in my view more important than any particular curriculum item is to be encouraged and strengthened as somebody who wants to participate in public service."
Communism is more a secular religion, so the comparison with atheism isn't fair.
Everything that can be found in communism is found in extreme religions -- the poor are the best, there is a coming apocalypse, prophets, sacred texts, sectarian infighting, hatred of prosperity, persecution complexes, meekness is better than strength and excellence, omnipresent infidels (capitalists, fascists, imperialists, take you pick) that must be wiped out, etc. etc.
Thanks for the clarification as to what you mean by hard-core religious right.
But of course, with the possible exception of #1 (and that's on a very limited scale), none of those things have anything to do in any significant way with their political agenda.
The problem for those holding Danforth's view is that on the very big cultural/social issues that dominate coverage and discussion, the views of conservative Christians are actually quite mainstream, and often make up the majority view. That's why you can't list issues that really irk the Danforth mindset, like opposition to gay marriage, because you know that gay marriage/civil unions have been rejected by overwhelming majorities every time it has gone to a vote of the people (56% in Oregon is the smallest majority yet garnered in support of traditional marriage, it even got 61% in California). Conservative Christians, or the religious right if you prefer, may indeed spearhead these movements, but they do not have the numbers to account for these overwhelming votes.
Basically it all boils down to the Sup Court. Since we live under judicial supremacy, what the religious right really wants are judges who will not side with the Left in the Culture War and impose what can't be won through the proper democratic channels. And if we ever achive a majority of Scalia-like judges, then all the contentious issues that the religious right cares about -- marriage, abortion, Establishment Clause -- would simply then be returned to the states and/or people where they properly belong in the first place. Then only in the places where the values of conservative Christians are mainstream would they in any way be implemented as public policy. All the liberal areas would be safe from Falwell and Robertson because there would be little or no public support for their views.
Again, contrast that with what the Left (and apparently those of Danforth's persuasion) want, which is an intolerant, genuinely divisive national imposition of their values by as few as five people. If the Left were content to have its cultural values reign supreme in the few areas where it is actually mainstream, and if they didn't run to the Courts to impose them nationwide, then there would be no culture war as we presently know it.
This is a joke,isn't it!
Not really- they meant to spell it "pubic."
Amen.
and screw Danforth.
he blew Waco.
schlub
Good post, especially this line.
Isn't Danforth a reverend of a Gay church - episcopal ?
He is worried about church attendees abandoning his chucrh to more traditional ones that believe in Christian values.
I am not sure why anyone should take this ranting of a RINO seriously or give it the attention it deserves.
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