Baptists angry at Bush campaign tactics

[Florida_Catholic]

NASHVILLE (AP) — 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."

[Brother Love]

 

[Jemidon2004]

Ok...i'm gonna add my two cents in here. That just really ticks me off. I'm just going to put it out like that. I do not agree and will not support those who will take up time in God's house to campaign for political office. During Worship services, the focus should be on GOD and not the political offices of this nation. That should be done outside of Worship Service. If they want to campaign, they can do it other ways...but those who would allow the candidates to come into their churches to campaign need to re-examine what it is to come together as a group of Believers. Now i'm not saying that we shouldn't take part in this election. If we are to elect a candidate who upholds Moral and Christian ethics, we should vote and make our voice heard.By no means. But what I am saying is when a political candidate comes into a church service, we run the risk of division and i've seen Christians really go at it because of politics. It's a sad thing to watch but i've seen it happen. I strongly disagree with Kerry continuously going into the Black protestant churchs and basically politicing and even if Bush has done it, i would disagree with this also. This should not go on  in God's house. Sorry, but this just annoys me because it takes focus off the Word of God and puts it on the word of a man or men...just my two cents. God Bless. This isn't a Baptist just angry at a mistake Bush may have made, this is a Baptist who is angry at both parties. But i'll be happy here in a few.

In His Service,
Joshua

[Florida_Catholic]

When politics and religion are mixed too closely there are serious problems.  My religion comes into my decisions, including political ones.  I learn my religion in churches.  However it's my job to put two and two together through prayer and study.  When a church participates in partisan politics or a candidate tries to take advantage of a church to do so it's a serious problem.  No political party or candidate can have a monopoly on a religion's morals and ethics.