OH15 - Mark Losey Discusses Religion And Politics

[frazzle]

With so much else happening, this post and my new podcast (link: http://www.loseyforcongress.com/NetRoots/index.php) seem sooooo December 2004. Still, I hope you'll find it's worth sharing. It's about Christianity and politics.

The fact is, the morning-after media conjecture that evangelical Christians cost Kerry the election was a wake-up call for me. I hope that our campaign for U.S. Congress re-affirms, in some small way, that Christianity belongs to no single party or politician, least of all the far-right fringe.

I can hear the sighs ... this topic has been worked over, warmed over and worried over plenty. In Ohio, it remains the subject of a lot of hand-wringing and will likely continue to be for the next two years.

That's because, instead of letting the compelling message and example of Jesus Christ shine as a light, too many Ohio politicians are using Christianity like a flamethrower. They torch Christians, secular Americans and Americans of all faiths who obstruct their path to power--power used to impose policies that line the pockets of the richest and most powerful at the expense of working folks and families.

What was it that Jesus said ... something about the odds of a rich man entering the Kingdom of God and a camel passing through the eye of a needle...?

Those of us who are Christians must never cede our faith to the far-right fringe. I was a Christian before I became a Democrat. And as I discuss in the podcast, I was raised to aspire to the Christian ideals of hope, compassion and humility. No honest person can claim to fulfill those ideals. But the duty always remains to strive to reach them. That duty follows me to Congress.

I also discuss in the podcast why freedom of religion and separation of church and state have been good for Christians and why they are indispensable, bedrock principles for a strong America for all of us.

Basic principles, I know. And I'm not going to make one long sermon out of our campaign. I feel that this is part of properly introducing myself as I work to earn your support. I hope you'll enjoy it, and look forward to seeing your thoughts.

Thanks for listening,
Mark Losey
http://www.loseyforcongress.com