Religious Right Funding Increases, AU Research Shows

[babylonsister]

This is scary stuff.

http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/1015-04.htm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2007
12:45 PM


CONTACT: Americans United for Separation of Church and State
[phone]
Joe Conn
Rob Boston
Jeremy Leaming


Religious Right Funding Increases, AU Research Shows
Religious Right May Be More Powerful Than Ever In 2008, Says AU's Lynn


October 15 – Is the Religious Right dead? To read some news media accounts, you might think it is.

In fact, a church-state watchdog group says the conservative Christian political movement has raised more money than ever, is quietly trying to organize churches into a political machine and is ready to line up behind a presidential candidate who makes the right promises.

“I wish I could say the Religious Right is dead,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “In fact, it may be more powerful than ever.

“The top Religious Right groups are taking in huge amounts of money,” he continued. “They are also quietly organizing churches into a partisan political machine. Now they just have to find a presidential candidate who will carry out their agenda.

“They know they are on the verge of full control over the Supreme Court,” Lynn continued, “and one more appointment could lead to a high court reversal on church-state separation, reproductive rights and gay rights.”

Lynn said AU research shows that leading Religious Right groups have built a huge war chest.

According to IRS filings analyzed by AU:

* James Dobson’s Focus on the Family took in $142.2 million in 2006, a $4.4 million increase over the previous year. (In addition, Dobson’s Focus on the Family Action took in $14.6 million in 2006.)

* Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council took in $10.3 million in 2006, an increase of over $900,000 over the previous year. (FRC Action, an affiliated group, took in $1.1 million in 2006.)

* Don Wildmon’s American Family Association took in $16.9 million in 2006.

* Alan Sears’ Alliance Defense Fund took in $26.1 million in 2006, an increase of $4.1 million over last year.

* TV preacher Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network took in $236.3 million in 2005, a $49.8 million increase over the previous year.

Dobson’s Focus on the Family, Perkins’ Family Research Council, Wildmon’s American Family Association and Sears’ Alliance Defense Fund are sponsoring a national conference Oct. 19-20 in Washington, D.C. Titled “The Washington Briefing 2007: The Values Voter Summit,” the event will include appearances by all of the Republican presidential candidates, speeches by Religious Right leaders and workshops on church-based political organizing.

These Religious Right organizations are also quietly recruiting churches into partisan politics. In a joint letter Oct. 1, the Alliance Defense Fund, Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council and two other groups urged churches to distribute voter guides and take other steps to mobilize evangelical voters. They blasted Americans United for alerting churches to IRS rules forbidding partisan politicking by churches.

Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.

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[AlinPA]

1. By next November, they will be at full throat with their hate and will bring out

their usual issues, hatred for gay people, hatred for "feminists" (but they really mean all women's rights), hatred for immigrants, flag waving, creationism, forced Christian prayer in schools....