Free Republic

It’s an old, old situation linked to Christian faith and politics. People on the right side of the church aisle are accused of taking the Bible very literally when it comes to sex and salvation. People on the left side of the church aisle prefer to take the Bible literally on issues of social justice and the poor. The reality, of course, is that Christianity has long offered rock-ribbed teachings on both sides of this equation. Sex outside of marriage? Sin. Ignoring the needs of the poor and the weak? Sin. The real debates, of course, are about how best...

(CNSNews.com) - Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign has hired a new director of religion outreach, who is being described by a Catholic group as "a curious choice." Mara Vanderslice, who formerly worked as religion outreach director for Democrat Howard Dean, was raised without any faith and didn't become an evangelical Christian until she attended Earlham College, a Quaker school known for its adherence to pacifism, the Catholic League said on Monday. According to Catholic League President William Donohue, when Vanderslice was in college she was active in the Earlham Socialist Alliance, a group that supports convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal and...

America is a religious nation. Polls reveal 94 percent of Americans believe in God or "a higher power," 84 percent believe religion is fairly or very important to them, 85 percent believe in life after death and 61 percent pray at least once a day. Consequently, presidential candidates and political parties know that if they come off as too secular, they will alienate voters. So they routinely appoint aides to advise them on religion issues. This spring, Sen. John Kerry hired Mara Vanderslice to be his director of religious outreach. Billed as a Christian activist, Ms. Vanderslice was raised without...