In the 2004 Presidential Election, George W. Bush can count on the Religious Right to put a great deal of time, effort, and money into his campaign. Is there a "Religious Left" that can counter them? Recently,
there was an article in the Washington Monthly entitled "Do the Democrats have a prayer?"
www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2003/0306.sullivan.html

The article says, in part, that to win re-election, Bush " will need to hold onto the votes of another group which supported him in 2000: religious moderates--one of the least-appreciated swing constituencies in the country, and one whose allegiance is more up for grabs than most people realize. They include Muslims, most Catholics, and a growing number of suburban evangelicals, all of whom are devout, but many of whom are uncomfortable with Bush's ties to the religious right, whose agenda--from banning abortion to converting Muslims--is deeply disconcerting to them. Many of these "swing faithful" have also begun to wonder if Bush's rhetoric of compassion and justice will be matched by policy substance.

They could be courted by the right kind of Democrat--one who, like Bush, can speak the language of faith sincerely."

The article goes on to describe liberals who have been able to do this, such as Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

I do not wish to see any candidate use religion to win, or make insincere religion-tinged speeches simply to "push the right buttons" and win over this segment of the population. But maybe it is the right time to start a dialog among those whose religious or spiritual principles motivate us to work for the “politics of compassion”.

Many of us feel that the “right” has stolen and corrupted religion as an issue the way they have stolen and corrupted the flag. Yet we know that our spiritual lives inspire us to work for peace and justice, which includes working to undo much of the damage the Bush administration has done. Many of us (myself included) do not wear our beliefs on our sleeves, but they motivate our actions and the policies we seek to support.

Most, if not all major religions have at their core some variation on the "golden rule"--treating others the way we wish to be treated. None of us can live up to that all of the time, but it is still a worthy ideal to keep in mind in both foreign and domestic policy.

If you are interested in taking part in this dialog, visit religiousleft.blogspot.com, check out some of the links, and consider joining the Yahoo group discussion.