TruthBook Religious News Blog

Saturday, June 30, 2007

The Supreme Court this week dismissed a lawsuit from the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation charging that President Bush's "faith-based initiative" program is an unconstitutional promotion of religion.

Good.

There are dangers in excessive government entanglement with religion, but there also are benefits in supporting proven, grass-roots programs that deliver needed services in an efficient manner. Reason, common sense and goodwill can help us build a consensus on how to protect religious freedom while providing public services such as drug counseling, soup kitchens and homeless shelters.

In an era when anti- religion polemicists gather attention with books, such as Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion," Chris topher Hitchens' "God Is Not Great: How Re ligion Poisons Every thing" and Sam Harris' "The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason," it would be wise to pause to consider what an America -- and a Northeast Ohio -- would be like free from religion.

Take away groups such as Catholic Charities, the Interfaith Hospitality Network and the City Mission, which meet the basic needs of thousands of the region's neediest, and Cleveland would be a tinderbox of frustration and injustice. As important as the services religious charities provide is their witness that those suffering are not alone, that many of their neighbors in the region believe poverty and homelessness are crimes against humanity that cry out for a response.

The ability to give hope amid even the most overwhelming crises was evident at the recent conference, "Leveraging Change: The Politics and Economics of Global Poverty and Health Care" at Hiram College.

In one session, leaders of Northeast Ohio organizations discussed how their groups are changing lives throughout the world despite crushing poverty, disease and economic injustice.

Joseph Cistone, executive director of the Cleveland Heights-based International Partners in Mission, spoke of his group's work in a Nairobi slum where women are sexually exploited and children suffer from malnutrition and malaria.

Catherine Monnin, director of Worldview International, a Christian group based in Olmsted Falls, spoke of her group's efforts to promote literacy programs and health clinics in Africa.
How to build on such efforts to create support for health care as a basic human right is a more formidable task.

In a separate session, Nicholas King, assistant professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve University, discussed why people who are well-off should care about the health of the poor. Can or should a case be made on the basis of self-interest?

The idea I came away with was that utilitarian arguments -- caring for the poor can prevent epidemics and reduce public health expenditures -- may be one way to build support for efforts to provide universal health care. We should, however, be grateful for all the people whose ethics mandate a humanitarian response irrespective of personal gain.

In America, faith contributes to the ethical foundation of a majority of its citizens.

More than ever, in a nation where politicians from both parties have abandoned the poor to the baser instincts of Americans, we need the positive values of religion. Lower taxes and a balanced budget -- not self-sacrifice for the greater good -- are the mantra of today's politicians.
We should welcome to the public policy table individuals and groups who uphold self-sacrificial love of neighbor as the ideal of living in community.

There is reason for hope when broad-based religious coalitions join with citizens groups to work for social justice. Last November, religious groups helped overcome powerful political and business interests in successful campaigns to raise the state's minimum wage and defeat slot machines and casino gambling.

An America free from religion?

No thanks.

To reach David Briggs:
dbriggs@plaind.com, 216-999-4812

Labels: America, charities, David Briggs, faith-based initiative, public service, religion, the poor

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Thursday, April 12, 2007

Americans Split Over Religion in Politics

Americans Split Over Religion in Politics
April 7, 2007

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States are divided in their perception of the role organized religion currently plays in public life, according to a poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates released by Newsweek. 32 per cent think organized religion has too much influence on politics, 31 per cent say it has too little influence, and 29 per cent believe the balance is adequate.

In June 2005, U.S. president George W. Bush defended his decision to allow access to federal funds for faith-based organizations, saying, "Building a more compassionate society requires that we mobilize our nation’s armies of compassion to help the poor, the sick, and those who hurt. America’s faith-based institutions change hearts every day. And we depend on the work of these organizations to bring hope to harsh places."

In December 2006, American journalist Amy Sullivan discussed the importance of religion in presidential elections, saying, "In 2004 only one of the primary candidates had any staff member who was reaching out to religious constituencies and to voter. At this point it looks like perhaps not all but at least a majority of candidates in 2008 primary will have somebody on staff focused on religious outreach and religious strategy, and that’s a sea change in the space of four years." 36 per cent of respondents think the influence of organized religion on American politics has increased in recent years, 23 per cent say it has decreased, and 37 per cent believe it has stayed roughly the same.

Polling Data

Do you think organized religion has too much influence on American politics today, too little influence, or about the right amount?

Too much influence
32%

Too little influence
31%

Right amount
29%

Don’t know
8%

Do you think the influence of organized religion on American politics has increased in recent years, decreased, or stayed about the same?

Increased
36%

Decreased
23%

Stayed about the same
37%

Don’t know
4%

Source: Princeton Survey Research Associates / Newsweek
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,004 American adults, conducted on Mar. 28 and Mar. 29, 2007. Margin of error is 4 per cent.

Labels: elections, faith-based initiative, politics, Princeton Survey Research Associates, religion, Unites States