Posted on 04/23/2005 8:27:36 PM PDT by Heartofsong83
Critics: Frist Mingling Religion, Politics
Sat Apr 23, 2:46 AM ET Politics - AP
By HILARY ROXE, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - It may seem like Sen. Bill Frist (news, bio, voting record) has found religion in recent weeks. At least, that's what critics say about the Senate majority leader's recent alignment with social conservative groups on high-profile issues.
Their charge is that Frist is playing to religious groups to gather support for political issues — and potentially for a future presidential race.
The Tennessee Republican took some heat when Congress stepped into a legal fight over the life of a brain-damaged Florida woman last month. The critics have grown louder since he agreed to participate in an event on Sunday organized by Christian groups trying to rally churchgoers to support ending the judicial filibuster.
"He seems to be going out of his way to pander to the radical religious right leaders," said Ralph Neas, president of People for the American Way, a liberal group that has worked to block several of President Bush's appointments to the courts. "Many people have commented that it seems to be commensurate with his aspirations to be president of the United States."
Sunday's event, organized by the conservative Family Research Council, will be in a Louisville, Ky., church and broadcast across the country. Fliers for "Justice Sunday" charge the filibuster is "being used against people of faith."
Frist's office says he plans to submit a four-minute videotape with the same Constitution-focused message he has given other groups.
But his participation has raised loud protests. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said it sent Frist a petition Friday signed by 20,000 people asking him "to abandon such dishonest and irresponsible tactics that politicize faith, abuse power and drown out the voice of ordinary Americans."
The leaders of several nationwide denominations on Friday joined the chorus urging Frist to reconsider his participation in the event. Among them was the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, the stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Frist's denomination.
Most people said Frist has the right to join Christian groups or ask for their backing on important issues but called the rhetoric surrounding Sunday's event inflammatory.
"His presence is giving credibility to people who have made a stark political issue a litmus test for judging religion," said C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Washington-based Interfaith Alliance and the pastor of a Louisiana church.
Frist is a conservative who has consistently supported the type of issues that rally right-leaning Christian groups. He was a leader of the opposition to gay marriage, and when he laid out an agenda on the first day of the 109th Congress in January, he mentioned "marriage, families and a culture of life that protects human dignity at every stage of development."
A Frist spokesman said the Constitution has been the senator's constant concern during the filibuster fight, and his position on Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman, was "clear and consistent" throughout the debate.
But some say there's been a shift in his focus.
"If you think about Bill Frist since he was majority leader, his strong suit was his intersection of science and medicine ... and his rational good government," said James Hudnut-Beumler, dean of Vanderbilt University's Divinity School and a scholar of American religious history. "I think that's still there, but to lead on a national stage, you have people who press you to come out on other issues and fronts."
Frist has said he will give up his Senate seat when his term ends next year, but he hasn't answered — or discouraged — speculation that he will run for president in 2008.
Luis Lugo, director of the nonpartisan, non-advocacy Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, said religion and religious groups are crucial factors for any candidate, Democrat or Republican.
"Any politician ... who aspires to public office ... has to come to terms with the fact that religious conservatives are a critically important part of the Republican Party," he said.
Tapping into the political force of a religious group, however, can be a divisive process when closely held moral values are at stake. The filibuster debate comes up at a time when the nation is vociferously arguing over whether to trust "activist" judges.
"It's a little bit of a third rail," said Hudnut-Beumler. Frist is "hoping to draw some power from it. Electric trains do draw power from the third rail, but people sometimes do get electrocuted."
Frist belongs to Presbyterian churches in Washington and Tennessee, has taken medical mission trips to Africa and other parts of the world, and is a regular at the National Prayer Breakfast. And even critics say it isn't possible to discern a person's true faith.
But Gaddy said he is concerned about "the transition from religion as a source of values and wisdom, to religion as a strategy for passing legislation or winning an election."
"I don't judge people's motives," he said. "If Sen. Frist sees this as an essential step in launching a presidential campaign, he's more involved in a stumble than a step."
___
On the Net:
Sen. Bill Frist: http://frist.senate.gov/
People for the American Way: http://www.pfaw.org/
The Interfaith Alliance: http://www.interfaithalliance.org/
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life: http://pewforum.org/
The Libs are worried about Frist having a shot at the presidency? Have they been following the news? They give him a lot more credit than I do.
Funny .. the dems didn't have any problem with Clinton walking down the street carrying a huge Bible under his arm - nobody seemed to feel that was "mixing politics and religion ..??" Hmmmmmm??
Or .. John Kerry taking communion at a Catholic church all during his campaign - and he hasn't been in a church since - nobody seemed to feel that was "mixing politics and religion ..??" Hmmmmmm??
Does it strike anyone besides me that the First Amendment bans federal regulation of religion, federal regulation of "speech or of the press," and federal regulation of politics - "peacable assembly" and "petition of the government" - all in the same sentence?The reality, as opposed to the "objective journalism" hype, is that journalism is politics - especially when it is claiming to not be politics.
The reality, as opposed to the "wall of seperation" hype, is that religion has political implications (as one English king famously put it, "No bishop, no king").
I remember 2000, you couldn't keep Algore out of a church and Lieberman talked about God non-stop.
That's because a Secularist or Atheist cannot win in American politics...isn't Lieberman Jewish? That probably explains it for him.
A petition with 20,000 signatures!!
Dang, for something that is only going to be shown in churches--unless TV is showing it and I haven't heard, the dems are getting way too angry--
John Kerry campaigned in black churches in Florida, the weeks leading up to the election, with Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson right beside him...
Do a search for "Justice Sunday" - you should find some info in that thread - it lists several radio stations.
Also .. if you go to Yahoo or Google and enter "Justice Sunday" you should find stuff about it.
The dems are angry because they know that when Frist tells the truth about what the dems are really doing - the dems are going to have an angry bunch of voters to deal with.
But .. that's different [/s]
Lieberman is an Orthodox Jew. And one of the few Dems with a bit of sanity, IMHO.
Liberals showing their primary colors under that ancient religion "we are gods".
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