Christian Democratic Progressives

In response to those who would argue one can delve too much into religious matters, I totally disagree. I feel we should present a positive prospective. The Republican have already clothed themselves in "Fundamentalist Christianity" and presented it as the only true prospective. There are many Christians that disagree with many of the Republican Fundamentalist views, but think that Bush and company must be sincere since they use religious trappings when nothing is further from the truth. Presenting arguments from the Christian Democratic Progressives are valid points of discussion. For faith to have true meaning, it must be internal, not merely external. I believe Dr. Martin Luther King has successfully presented the Christian view that Jesus was a Progressive.

I grew up in the Christian faith and my commitment in no less strong today, but I believe that others such as Buddha, Mohammad, and many Jewish Rabbis and Priests believe in Progressive view points as well. Most of the world’s religions express tolerance and universal brotherhood as core principals, we simple have to agree to disagree on some areas and build on what unites us together. The problem here is intolerance of another's religious views not the expression of religion's positive functions. Religion can be the instrument of evil or good depending on how it is applied. I personally believe deeply in Universalism and that there are points of value in all positive religions and the inherent worth and dignity of all human beings, but it is clear there are judgemnents and consequences to not atone for ones transgressions.

There are other prospectives and many of these deserve expression. The problem I have is when Republican Fundamentalists say in the Republican Platform that they want to dispel the myth about Separation of Church and State. As I pointed out in previous newsletters, the real myth here is that there was never intended to be Separation of Church and State. It is quite clear from Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and George Washington that they recognized the problem when one religion or religious view "uses governmental power in support of themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths or no faith, undermines our civil rights."

Where are the Christian Democrats you may ask? John Wesley, Martin Luther King, Pope John XXIII, Jesse Jackson, Billy Graham, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Jim Wallis, Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton I reply. They all held Democratic values and positive religious view points.

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http://normanvincentpeale.wwwhubs.com/


Thomas Jefferson & Myths about the Separation of Church and State

The phrase comes from a letter, which Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptist Church in Connecticut. Jefferson was President when the Danbury Baptist Association wrote him on October 7, 1801. They expressed their concern about their religious freedoms. They felt they were being persecuted because they did not belong to the Congregationalist establishment in Connecticut. Jefferson responded to reassure them that he also believed in religious liberty and said:

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Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God; that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship; that the legislative powers of the government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore man to all of his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

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This phrase appears again in a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote to Virginia Baptists in 1808:

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Because religious belief, or non-belief, is such an important part of every person's life, freedom of religion affects every individual. State churches that use government power to support themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths or no faith, undermine all our civil rights. Moreover, state support of the church tends to make the clergy unresponsive to the people and leads to corruption within religion. Erecting the "wall of separation between church and state," therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society.

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There is a far greater power in Universal Brotherhood and Positive thought that frees us from hate, bigotry, and intolerance.

-Thomas P Love