Adopt a Catholic Congressman
A new prayer campaign targeting Catholic Congressial leaders was recently launched by OneNationUnderGod.org.
The faith-based organization said 50 percent of Catholic politicians serving in Congress have accepted large donations from ”pro-abortion” lobby groups “while reinforcing their support for abortion rights legislation.”
OneNationUnderGod.org is inviting people to join its prayer campaign for conversion of Catholic politicians “who hold great influence over the lives of the innocent.”
People involved in the campaign are asked to adopt a Catholic member of Congress and pledge a daily spiritual devotion for their enlightenment and for the continued inspiration of their bishop.
The campaign was launched June 22, the feast day of St. Thomas More, whom Pople John Paul II procliamed the patron saint of statesmen and politicians.
For more information about the campaign, go online to www.OneNationUnderGod.org.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Newsweek boycott
The Dec. 6 Newsweek cover story titled “The Religious Case for Gay Marriage” has drawn criticism from some faith groups.
Lou Engle, founder of a faith-based group called TheCall, is asking Christian subscribers to the news magazine to cancel their subscriptions because of the story, written by Lisa Miller.
In his news release today, Engle accused Newsweek with “catering to the Manhattan crowd, who think stories attacking religion are trendy.”
Engle, who was one of the organizers of pro-Proposition 8 events in California, said “The fact is an overwhelming majority of Americans believe that God exists and the Bible is His sacred Word.”
Proposition 8 was an initiative measure prohibiting same-sex marriage in California. It was approved by a majority of California voters in November.
“Lisa Miller is no authority on religion or the bible. The Bible is clear on the issues: homosexual marriage is strictly forbidden because it openly defies God’s design,” Engle said in his news release.
In the days to come, tt will be interesting to see what other feedback Newsweek and Miller receive.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Faith at the polls
I read the other day about people who became addicted to the presidential election.
Now that it is over they are fighting withdrawal.
If there are any folks like that reading this blog, here is something for your election taste buds to savor: Beliefnet has released the results of its exit poll.
It is an interesting look at the beliefs of the people who voted for Obama/Biden ticket or McCain/Palin ticket. Read it by clicking here: Beliefnet’s exit poll.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Faith leaders comment on Obama
Religious leaders and representatives of faith-based organizations are weighing in on the election of Sen. Barack Obama as the nation’s 44th president.
The National Council of Churches has responded today with a letter to the new president elect:
Dear Mr. President Elect,
Blessings on you, and congratulations. Now that the electorate has made its decision, we at the National Council of Churches urge all Americans to come together to uphold you with our hands, our hearts and our prayers.
Only rarely in our history has a president-elect faced immediate challenges of such fierce magnitude. The leaders of this Council pledge to you our unstinting support in the difficult days to come. All of us are dependent on God’s loving mercy, and we will regularly pray for you and others elected to high leadership. May your wisdom and discernment serve you well, and may your health never wane.
To read the complete letter, click here: Letter
The Rev. Billy Graham, who is nearing his 90th birthday on Friday, also has a statement, shared through a news release sent today:
“President Elect Barack Obama faces many challenges, and I urge everyone to join me in pledging our support and prayers as he begins the difficult task ahead.”
Meanwhile, The Associated Press is reporting that the Vatican said today that it hopes that Barack Obama will work to promote peace and justice in the world.
The Rev. Federico Lombardi, chief spokesman for the Vatican and for Pope Benedict XVI told The Associated Press that the Vatican hoped Obama would “work for the cause of rights and justice, finding suitable ways to promote peace in the world, fostering people’s development and dignity while respecting essential human and spiritual values.”
Other statements come from leaders that are not as conciliatory:
The Rev. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, released the following statement regarding the Presidential election:
“Americans have made a grave mistake in electing Barack Obama to the presidency. He said during the campaign that he does not know when a human being starts to have human rights. How can one govern from that starting point of ignorance? Governing is about protecting human rights; to do it successfully, you have to know where they come from, and when they begin. The President-elect has already failed that test miserably.”I’ll post more comments and statements as they arrive.Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
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Quiz: Candidates’ faith beliefs
Folks who have already voted can go to Beliefnet.com and take the Web site’s exit poll.
Also, the Web site features an interesting quiz that allows you to test your knowledge of the presidential (and vice presidential) candidates’ faith beliefs and some of the news surrounding their religious views.
Take the quiz by clicking here: Quiz
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Faith and the election
If you aren’t overwhelmed by all the election commentary, campaigning, rumors and more rumors, here are some interesting insights from Steven Waldman, editor-in-chief of Beliefnet.com and author of the book “Founding Faith: The Birth of Religious Freedom in America.
Here are Waldman’s Top Ten Faith Factors to be watching for on Tuesday.
For those of you who may be interested in what else he has to say, he will be blogging the election live at www.Beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman.
Ten Faith Factors for Election Night1.How Many Obamagelicals Are There? – It might seem farfetched that a socialist-terror-lovin’-pro-abortion candidate like Obama could win any evangelical Christians but he’s been courting them fervently since he began his presidential run. The key the 40% of evangelicals who call themselves “moderate” or “liberal.” Point of reference: John Kerry won 21% of white evangelicals, Gore 18%. Bill Clinton in 1996 won 26%.
2. Will Palin Turn Out the “Religious Right”? — By picking Sarah Palin, John McCain gambled that she’d be able to rev up the evangelical “base.” Even as her popularity has fallen generally, evangelicals still love her (some even believing she was sent to battle the anti-Christ.) Assuming most conservative evangelicals vote for McCain, the second question is: how many will show up? Point of reference: white evangelicals accounted for 23% of the electorate in 2004.
3. Do Midwestern Evangelicals Split With Their Brethren? — Recent polls have showed Obama trailing badly among evangelicals in
5. Can Obama Finally Bowl a Strike With Skeptical White Catholics? – During the primaries, Obama did poorly with white Catholics, often working class ethnics or their offspring. Remember his feeble attempt to curry favor through bowling? They tend to be culturally conservative and haven’t voted for a Democrat since 1996. On the other hand, they’re especially concerned about the economy this year, and Joe Biden has been trying to bond with them as a fellow “cultural Catholics.” Point of reference: In 2004, Bush won 56% of white Catholics, Kerry 43%.
6. Will Whitebread Protestants Back the Black Guy? – Recent polls show Democrats gaining with a group that had leaned Republican for most of the past few decades – Mainline Protestants. It appears that while Sarah Palin energized evangelicals, she may have alienated some Mainliners. In 2004, they went for President George W. Bush 54%-46%.
7. Will Latino Protestants Vote Their Values or the Pocketbook? – One positive trend for Obama will likely be the shift of Latinos from the Republican side, where they resided in 2004, to the Democrats. The hidden religious story: most of the shift is driven by Latino Protestants. Many are evangelical and liked Bush’s Christian faith and his conservative positions on social issues (gay marriage, abortion) but have shifted to Obama because of the economy and concerns about immigration.
8. How Will the Kinda-Sorta Religious Vote? – In recent elections, the most religious you were, the more likely you were to vote Republican. This is known as the God Gap, which will still certainly exist. But watch for two things: among weekly churchoers how big is McCain’s margin? Bush won that group 61%-39% Second, Kerry last time beat Bush among more occasional churchgoers 53%-47%. Will Obama increase that margin?
9. Will Jews Schlep to Republican Side? – This only really matters in
Will that go up or down? If it becomes an even more dominant force within the party, how will that shape either the way McCain governs if he wins or, if he loses, how the Republicans re-invent themselves.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Homeless finding their voice in election
The faith-based City Rescue Mission held a homeless voter registration drive this week in cooperation with several partnering agencies like the Homeless Alliance and Catholic Charities.
Tom Jones, director of the homeless shelter, 800 W California, said the mission joined other such efforts in conjunction with National Homeless and Low Voter Registration Week activities held across the country in recent days.
“So many times in their mind the homeless don’t think they’re eligible,” Jones said. “They sometimes feel bad with the way things have happened in their life, that they’re not important. This is just one of the ways that we remind them that they count and they have a voice.”
Shelter spokeswoman Tiffany Webb said City Rescue Mission held a registration drive in September and 68 people registered to vote. She said leaders had asked people attending a chapel service if they had voted in the last presidential election. When only a few people raised their hand, the registration drive was organized.
“This helps raise awareness that they are viable citizens,” Jones said. “Just because their address is City Rescue Mission does not mean their voices don’t matter and that their vote is not important.”
(PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN/THE OKLAHOMAN: Jennifer Gooden, program coordinator with the Homeless Alliance, and Kim Woods, homeless services coordinator with Catholic Charities, assist Gary Havard as he registers to vote at the City Rescue Mission in Oklahoma City on Thursday.)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Faith and politics
As Election Day nears, churches and other organizations are offering lectures and forums that bring together the worlds of politics and religion.
Here are a few upcoming activities:
– Church of the Open Arms is hosting a panel discussion exploring the relationship between faith and politics on three consecutive evenings beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday at 3131
For more information call Jim Stovall at 204-0811.
– NORMAN — Charles Kimball, new director of Religious Studies at the University of Oklahoma, will present a public lecture from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Oklahoma Memorial Union, 900 Asp. Ave. on the OU campus.
Kimball, author of the book “When Religion Becomes Evil,” will speak on the topic “Religion and Politics in the 2008 Election: Can You Tell a Sunni From a Shiite … or a Baptist From a Catholic?”
A book signing will follow the lecture. The lecture is free and the public is invited to attend.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
A call for election eve prayer
Concerned Roman Catholics of America is calling on all Catholics and Christians to ask their pastors to allow them to conduct all-night prayer vigils on the night before the U.S. presidential election.
Kenneth M. Fisher, the group’s founder and chairman, said Christians need to pray for God-loving and fearing candidates throughout the country ”so that the present course of moral decay, so evident today in our society, can be reversed and ‘One Nation Under God’ can be once again established, especially the ‘inalienable right to life’, ” Fisher said in a statement released through Christian Newswire.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Palin bio book race
An earlier posting included information about Zondervan’s plans to publish a biography about GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin in October.
Well it seems there is a race between Zondervan and another evangelical publishing house, Tynedale House Publishers, to be the first to offer Palin’s bio.
Religion News Service recently reported that Tyndale House has begun distributing a paperback edition of a new book “Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned the Alaska Political Establishment Upside Down” by Alaska freelance writer Kaylene Johnson.
That book first came out in April as a release from Epicenter Press, according to the RNS, and Tyndale is now printing 250,000 copies.
Meanwhile, Joe Hilley’s book “Sarah Palin: A New Kind of Leader,” will be released Oct. 10 by Zondervan.
The RNS reports that both biographies highlight Palin’s Christian faith as a formative force.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
