Standing By Your Sex-Hobbyist -Man; Because It's Your Fault Too?

Are Democrats Anti-Christian?
The radical right is doing everything in its power to threaten judicial independence -- at the risk of turning legitimate debate over judicial appointees into a religious war.

How does Senate GOP Leader Bill Frist respond? This Sunday, despite an outcry from Jewish and other religious leaders, he'll be raising the stakes and egging-on the far-right. But you can add your voice today -- and tell him that enough is enough (see below).

As you may have heard, the ultra-conservative Family Research Council [aired]a "Justice Sunday" telecast on April 24, 2005 linking churches across the nation, and Frist will be speaking. The topic? In the words of FRC's president: how to "stop this unprecedented filibuster of people of faith."

In trumpeting the telecast, FRC proclaims that the courts have been acting "like thieves in the night, to rob us of our Christian heritage and our religious freedoms." These "anti-Christian" judges -- and the Democrats who support them -- are responsible for such evils as "the legalization of abortion" and "the banning of school prayer." And Frist apparently thinks such rhetoric is just fine. In fact, Frist will be leading the charge, using this telecast to help divide Americans while exploiting faith and feeding religious discord.

Jewish leaders have been appalled. ADL National Director Abraham Foxman said that "playing the 'religious' card is as unacceptable as playing the race card." The president of B'nai B'rith International, Joel Kaplan, said,

"Without doubt, the whole idea of judicial independence is under attack. ... I just don't know how far this will encroach on the separation of church and state before the electorate calls a halt to it."

And Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, said,

"When leaders of the Republican Party lend their imprimatur to such outrageous claims... it should be of deep concern to all who care about religion. ...[Frist's] association with the scheduled telecast is, in a word, shameful."

What Senator Frist refuses to acknowledge -- what we all know to be true -- is that the separation between church and state in America grants every American a level of religious liberty that is envied around the world. It is because of this separation of church and state that faith in America has flourished; this separation helps faith, while protecting Americans of all faiths from religious or governmental coercion.

But Frist chooses to stoke the fires of religious hostility by joining this telecast -- a telecast that will brand Democrats as "anti-Christian" for opposing dangerous judicial appointments.

Tell Senator Frist: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. No more religion-baiting, no more dividing. It is time for him to stand up and act like the leader he claims to be.

SEND A MESSAGE TO SENATOR FRIST NOW:

* To send a message via e-mail go to: http://frist.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=AboutSenatorFrist.ContactForm

* To send a letter via fax, send it to 202-228-1264

* To send a letter via postal mail, write to Senator Bill Frist, 509 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510

*********************************

Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation

When I interned at a community organization in college, my boss told me that anger was a powerful tool. When you’re angry, you’re more likely to speak up and take action. With this in mind, I agreed—eagerly volunteered—to attend a press conference last week announcing the formation Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation. The group is headed by Don Feder, a former columnist for the Boston Herald, who considers himself a Jewish conservative. Mr. Feder doesn’t like moderation :

When I interned at a community organization in college, my boss told me that anger was a powerful tool. When you’re angry, you’re more likely to speak up and take action.

With this in mind, I agreed—eagerly volunteered—to attend a press conference last week announcing the formation Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation. The group is headed by Don Feder, a former columnist for the Boston Herald, who considers himself a Jewish conservative. Mr. Feder doesn’t like moderation. As he writes on his website:

“I’m to the right of Sharon on Zionism, to the right of Pat Buchanan on immigration and Americanism, to the right of Mother Angelica on abortion, to the right of Chuck Heston on Second-Amendment rights, and generally make the legendary Atilla look like a limousine liberal.”

I’m not quite sure what that political ideology is, perhaps because Mr. Feder’s self-description pushes off the map of the political spectrum, but I was glad to have the opportunity to be riled up again about the importance of the work the RAC does.

I was prepared to be angered; I was not prepared for the undercurrent of Islamaphobia I heard at the event. It was difficult for me to remain in the room when of the panelists suggested a parallel between Hitler, Haman and Islam. Another suggested that we ought to take anti-Christian attitudes more seriously than bigotry directed as Muslims because Christians had a long history of protecting Jews.

What saddened me more, however, was limited definition of Christianity that the JAACD seemed interested in protecting against defamation. That didn’t seem particularly interested in protecting the Christianity of my friend who is awaiting the anticipated decision of her Lutheran denomination to ordain gays and lesbians so she join the clergy. Nor did it seem interested in protecting the voices of the Christian clergy and laity with whom the RAC works regularly as part of our Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

The speakers made much of the “moral legacy” Christianity provided in shaping American society. I agree that the United States is moving away from the values that Christianity—and Islam and Judaism and other traditions—suggest societies should root themselves in. But I reject the idea that those values are intolerance and bigotry.

As I watch our government abandoning the values of communal responsibility, compassion and tolerance that create civic society and are taught by our faith traditions, I can’t help but be angered by the JAACD’s attempts to protect the bigotry of the Radical Right under the guise of tolerance. I hope this anger inspires me—and our faithful RAC blog readers—to keep fighting.

Posted by Erin Scharff, RAC Legislative Assistant