The morning after
So, what's the outlook for religion in politics? The Democratic resurgence in Congress, according to political observers, heralds a new dynamic in the long-standing tug-of-war over religion and politics in public life. Any predictions?
Comments (3)
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I don't expect much change for now. The Dems were keen on recruiting socially conservative candidates like Heath Shuler to attract fence-sitters and centrist Republican voters. Seems to have worked pretty effectively.
These folks won't dream of touching Bush's billion dollar giveaways to churches at this point. But at least there should be less strident attacks on the teaching of science and efforts to censor libraries in public schools for a while. One can hope so, at least.
Posted on November 8, 2006 10:56 AM
At the federal level, just replacing House Judiciary Committee chairman James Sensenbrenner will dramatically reduce the amount of theocrazy legislation making its way to the floor of the House. The really fringe legislation will now die a quick and deserved death in committee. Sensenbrenner is not, himself, all that much of a theocrat, that I know of, but he's also not that much of a legislative gatekeeper.
Posted on November 8, 2006 11:05 AM
Politicians use religion the same way they use any other tool in their repertoire. To get elected anyway they can. Remember back in 2000? Lieberman claiming to be an "Orthodox Jew" and he would not work on the sabbath? How about Nancy Pelosi? She's a Roman Catholic yet supports gay rights and abortion. Those two positions just don't mix.
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/gaynor/061028
"House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, an ardent abortion supporter and nominal Roman Catholic, 'fully intend[s] to receive communion, one way or another,' despite Vatican opposition to the receipt of Holy Communion by persons professing to be both Catholics in a state of grace and abortion supporters.
"Ms. Pelosi explained that receiving Holy Communion is 'very important' to her. ....Will America's Catholic bishops cooperate or chastise America's Nancy Pelosi's, Tom Daschle's, Ted Kennedy's and John Kerry's? ... [and] some nominally Catholic Republicans ... such as Maine Senator Susan Collins.
"Canon 915 provides that '[t]hose... who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.'
Why should anything change?
Posted on November 9, 2006 8:24 AM