Political Leaders Should Resist Pressure to take up

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 17:19:36 -0600
From: Americans United
To: us
Subject: Political Leaders Should Resist Pressure to take up

PRESS RELEASE ** PRESS RELEASE ** PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
February 1, 2005

www.au.org


POLITICAL LEADERS SHOULD RESIST PRESSURE TO TAKE UP PREACHING, SAYS
CHURCH-STATE EXPERT

Trend Toward Religious Rhetoric In Politics Undercuts Constitution, Could
Divide America, Says The Rev. Barry W. Lynn


Political leaders should resist pressure from religious leaders to turn
public policy debate into an exercise in theology, says Americans United
for Separation of Church and State.

"These are dangerous times for the First Amendment principle of
church-state separation," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United
executive director. "Religious advocates of all stripes are applying all
kinds of pressure on politicians to start passing laws based on their
interpretation of the Bible.

"From James Dobson to Jim Wallis, evangelicals are goading politicians to
couch policy-making in Christian terms," Lynn continued. "This is deeply
troubling and potentially very divisive. Politicians are not preachers, and
political debate should not be turned into religious conflict."

Since the 2004 elections, Dobson and his allies have demanded that
Republican candidates they helped elect must not only speak in religious
terms but must start passing laws that advance the Religious Right agenda.
Dobson told ABC News that President George W. Bush has a mandate to carry
out the Religious Right's bidding.

Meanwhile, Wallis, author of a new book on religion and politics, is
pressuring Democratic Party leaders to couch their positions in religious
language in response to Republican moves. According to The New York Times,
Wallis urged Democrats to find a middle ground on abortion and other social
issues that are most troubling to religious traditionalists.

Americans United's Lynn, who is a United Church of Christ minister, said
these developments are cause for alarm.

"Despite the threats from Dobson and the preachments from Wallis, elected
officials should make decisions based on the public good, not private
religious belief," observed Lynn. "The nation's public square is not
without religious debate, and no one is advocating for a suppression of
religious discussion. But our nation's laws must be rooted in
constitutional values and reasoned analysis, not someone's personal take on
scripture.

"Elected officials must represent all Americans, not the interests of any
one segment of the religious community," Lynn continued. "Politicians are
bound to uphold the Constitution, which provides for a healthy separation
between religion and government. We cannot turn the floor of Congress into
a theological debating arena."

Americans United for Separation of Church and State 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 the
safeguarding religious freedom.


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