Avoid demonizing in pulpit politics
The Virginian-Pilot
© September 18, 2007
Last updated: 7:40 PM
Would Jesus build a big fence along the U.S. border with Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants?
If tithes were down to a trickle, would he spend his dollars on pre-kindergarten for poor children or more services for the mentally ill?
Would he punish a murderer who preys on gay people as severely as a killer motivated by racial hatred?
Religious leaders can have a positive role in debates on those issues.
However, modern-day problems facing Virginians and Americans are complex, and there’s room for healthy disagreement between and among Christians, Jews and Muslims.
In the end, each individual must decide which solutions fit best with his or her beliefs.
Pastors for Family Values, a new coalition of conservative Christian ministers, gathered last week in Richmond, vowing to help elect social conservatives to the state legislature who will support abortion restrictions and school vouchers.
The headliner was the Rev. Jonathan Falwell, whose late father raised a lot of ruckus during his day. The younger Falwell says he’ll carry on some of Jerry’s favorite causes, but he also is urging churchgoers to take a great role in caring for Virginia’s poor families and troubled youngsters. That’s a welcome focus.
Reverends, rabbis and imams can be a powerful voice for society’s oppressed, particularly when they work together.
For example, religious groups raised awareness about the scourge of payday lending on low-income communities, a problem many lawmakers have ignored as they have collected thousands of dollars in campaign contributions.
Sometimes, though, religious leaders become agents of division, seeking to marginalize those with different beliefs. Preachers with a penchant for labeling the opposition as a bunch of heathens sometimes forget their own human frailties until they, too, fall short of the glory of God — with the cameras rolling.
That doesn’t mean preachers have to censor their beliefs. If they feel abortion, the death penalty or no-fault divorces are wrong, they have the right to make their case.
Parishioners, however, should be cautious when their ministers start dividing the ballot into angels and demons, or claiming divine truth on issues that aren’t so simple. There’s a fine line between preachin’ and meddlin,’ and it’s up to the followers to know the difference.
© 2007 HamptonRoads.com/PilotOnline.com
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