Posted on 11/02/2002 5:15:20 AM PST by GailA
Bredesen says GOP flier plays to religious bigotry
By Paula Wade wade@gomemphis.com November 2, 2002
NASHVILLE - Gubernatorial candidate Phil Bredesen blasted a recent Republican mailing as ''a blatant appeal to religious bigotry and hatred'' because it questions teaching about world religions in Nashville schools.
Bredesen, speaking to the Nashville Downtown Kiwanis Club Friday, said he was ''disgusted'' by the mailer, sent by the Tennessee Republican Party to about 50,000 Tennesseans, mostly in rural areas.
A spokesman for Bredesen's Republican opponent, Van Hilleary, denied a role in sending the mailing.
The direct-mail ad pictures a statue of Buddha and says that ''as mayor of Nashville, Phil Bredesen put in place a core curriculum that mandated the teaching of Buddhism and Hinduism to second graders . . . This core curriculum teaches second graders about Buddhism and Hinduism.
"The Core Curriculum website teaches belief in many gods and ancestor worship,'' the ad says. "See that radical curriculum for yourself . . . Is this what we want our kids learning about in the second grade?''
Bredesen called the mailing "outrageous."
"I certainly hope people will look at this and see it for what it is - a message designed to stoke religious hatred," he said.
"This is exactly the kind of thing President Bush has been talking about since 9/11."
He said he thinks the mailing ''is designed to send the message that this guy doesn't share the same Christian values as most Tennesseans - and I think it's outrageous.''
Bredesen pointed out that the Core Curriculum is the same education program touted by leading conservatives nationwide, including U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige and conservative author/educator Bill Bennett, both of whom have campaigned for Hilleary.
Tennessee Republican Party spokesman Elizabeth Phillips said the ad ''is not about religion. It's about education. Our point is that these things are being taught at the expense of the fundamentals, at the expense of children being able to read.''
The mailer does not mention test scores or literacy, only the fact of the non-Western religions being taught. It concludes that the Core Curriculum ''doesn't reflect our Tennessee values.''
The mailer ties in with an earlier ''push poll'' about two weeks ago that mentioned the teaching about world religions in Nashville schools, and an E-mail sent to pastors statewide by Republican activist Brian Eastin.
In that E-mail, Eastin identifies himself as working with the Hilleary campaign and charges that Bredesen's Core Curriculum program "promotes" Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam ''over Christianity.'' It encourages the ministers to share that information with their congregations as they see fit.
But Metro Schools spokesman Craig Owensby said there is no promotion of any religion in the schools. ''I've seen the mailer and it's very misleading,'' Owensby said, pointing out that the mailer directs people to a Web page that is obsolete. ''This was part of a unit called 'Focus on Early Civilizations.' . . . Certainly students are told that other religions exist, but there is no effort to indoctrinate anyone - as a public school system, that would be completely inappropriate.''
Bredesen said, ''The governor should set a tone for hope, not hate. My own Christian faith and values lead me to feel that way, and that's the kind of leader I want to be. There is no place for Van Hilleary's divisive message of bigotry.''
Said Hilleary spokesman Jennifer Coxe, ''It's not our mailer, so I can't comment on it. I have no reason to doubt that something they (the Republican Party) put out would not be entirely accurate. But we believe Mr. Bredesen needs to accept responsibility for his record, and should not be running from his record.''
Bredesen said the ad has caused a flurry of calls to his campaign office.
''Most of them want to know what my religion is - they think I'm Buddhist.''
Like Hilleary, Bredesen is a Presbyterian. He was asked about his spirituality at the Kiwanis meeting.
''Faith is something that is personal, but I've always felt that the full expression of someone's spirituality is found in works . . . in what you do to make God's presence real in the community,'' Bredesen said.
Contact Nashville Bureau reporter Paula Wade at (615) 242-2018.
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