New plan: Adding 'faith' to the party

[Krinkov]

This turned my stomach when i read it--so is the goal to have BOTH parties preaching from the podium?
And how will they rectify this approach with reproductive rights?
This is so sorry and cynical, i cant understand how they think the red staters will fall for this.


Pelosi Names James E. Clyburn to Lead Faith Working Group

2/4/2005 2:59:00 PM


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To: National Desk

Contact: Brendan Daly or Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616, both of the Office of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi today announced that she has named Democratic Caucus Vice-Chair James E. Clyburn of South Carolina to lead the House Democrats' Faith Working Group.

"Jim Clyburn is a man of deep faith and profound moral courage," Pelosi said. "He applies his faith every day in the values he brings to his work in Congress. With his leadership, the Faith Working Group will grow both as a source of strength for our Members and as an avenue to reach out to people of faith across the country."

Clyburn today led a discussion on communicating faith and values at the Democratic Caucus' 2005 Issues Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia.

"The Democratic agenda is deeply rooted in faith, but we have been less effective than we could be in communicating how our moral values guide our policies," Clyburn said. "I look forward to leading House Democrats' efforts to more effectively communicate our Democratic values, which are fundamentally American values."

The Faith Working Group provides Members of strong and authentic faith with a venue to share their values and to collaborate with other people of faith on issues of mutual concern. The Group works with faith communities on common values such as fighting poverty, improving schools, speaking out against materialism and greed, providing better housing, and fighting for social and economic justice.

[autorank]

1. The only "faith" we need is "faith" that the voting system works fairly.

OK, I'm all for the cosemtic touch of us embrasing religious faith etc. We're a lot closer to truE Xtianity than they are but, please, lets focus on getting in a position to really win some elections.

VOTING RIGHTS, OUR ISSUE THEN AND OUR ISSUE NOW

[paineinthearse]

2. I just returned from the Kerry funeral in Boston

I mean the party to thank the campaing workers (see my post in the Mass forum).

Kerry talked about a person who had had heart surgery, then lost his health insurance. His wife prayed he would stay healthy. "I believe in faith-based initiatives, too. But I believe that one should not have to pray for healthcare."

Seems Kerry has partaken of the kool-aid, as well.
That will be my prayer and signature line for the next 4 years.

[Warpy]

3. Attacking the unchristian nature of the hard right

and most especially the privatizers, the deregulators, and the people who are responsible for holding wages down, shipping jobs offshore while shredding the safety net should be a real priority.

We need to get mainstream religious leaders and their churches involved in this.

My suggestion for believers is to question your minister why he isn't addressing this stuff. If he's too afraid of annoying his Repuglican parishoners, it's time to find a new church with a minister who cares more about the words of Jesus than he does about money.

Chrisitans were always on the right side of most of this country's battles in the past, and no, I'm not talking about the holy rollers fighting evolution. I'm talking about the mainstream people who have always worked hardest for social and economic justice.

It's time to enlist them again.

[queeg]

4. Please NO

one of the basic ideals of the Dem party should be freedom FROM faith as well as freedom of faith. I want God kept as far as possible from politics.

[Tux]

5. I agree

I hope by faith they don't mean Christians only. At least it may attract those that are screwed by Bush's plans. We need all the help we can get.

Also, I wish those fundies would read my sig. lol. Like it's work.

[ProgressiveConn]

6. Why shouldn't we be accepting of the religious?

New Testament Christians make up a large portion of our Christian population. Why shouldn't we accept their faith? Doesn't mean everyone has to share their faith. Regardless of WHY they do the right thing shouldn't we support that they are DOING the right thing?

Personally I see anyone who is trying to show the valid link between Jesus' teachings and modern liberalism can only help us oppose the extreme right wing agenda being used against us today. The liberal churches are out there pushing a very similar agenda to the democratic party. The conservative churches have obviously backed the neo-con agenda wholeheartedly. And are constantly pushing for even more socially conservative actions. Why should liberal churches sit back and watch them use Jesus to further non-Christian ideals?

[Tux]

8. Yeah but

Why equate religion with Christianity when there are many that are religious but not Christian that would be alienated by this move. Why ignore the Wiccans, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, et al that could aid the Democrats?

[texanshatingbush]

7. Actions speak louder than words

Below is an excerpt from a post I made last night to "Are Democrats simply too nice?" Chimpy TALKS "compassionate conservatism", but he WALKS with the Neocons who are without compassion. We need to remind people that he doesn't measure up to his own words.

Here's my previous post:

And why not remind exclusionary Americans that Gandhi once said: "I would have become a Christian.......had it not been for Christians".

And whenever the RW castigates the Dems for being "too liberal", let's remind Bush's holier-than-thou kool-aid drinkers of Jesus' own words: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

[SteveIrving1]

9. Amen to that

I'm a Christian as well but I stopped going to church when it turned right-wing and all about praising bush instead of Jesus.