'Religious left' emerging as U.S. political force in Trump era

[Hard_Rom]

'Religious left' emerging as U.S. political force in Trump era

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-religion-idUSKBN16Y114

Since President Donald Trump's election, monthly lectures on social justice at the 600-seat Gothic chapel of New York's Union Theological Seminary have been filled to capacity with crowds three times what they usually draw.

"The election of Trump has been a clarion call to progressives in the Protestant and Catholic churches in America to move out of a place of primarily professing progressive policies to really taking action," she said.

Although not as powerful as the religious right, which has been credited with helping elect Republican presidents and boasts well-known leaders such as Christian Broadcasting Network founder Pat Robertson, the "religious left" is now slowly coming together as a force in U.S. politics.

Religious progressive activism has been part of American history. Religious leaders and their followers played key roles in campaigns to abolish slavery, promote civil rights and end the Vietnam War, among others. The latest upwelling of left-leaning religious activism has accompanied the dawn of the Trump presidency.

 

[FakeNews]

‘Religious left’ rising to ask God to take on Trump

A war of biblical proportions is brewing — and it’s pitting the Big Government left’s religious minded against the more traditional spiritual views of the limited government right.

Or, to cut to the chase: Progressives with greater and greater frequency are starting to cite biblical principles as a means of getting their political ways.

Still others point to the organization Faith in Public Life, a progressive policy group that recently gathered together 300 members of the clergy and herded them to the U.S. Senate to block then-Sen. Jeff Sessions from becoming attorney general.

Good Lord, yes. Look at House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi — the pro-abortion Catholic. How that woman seriously reconciles the killing of the unborn with biblical teaching is one of the great mysteries of the world. But God does work in mysterious ways, as they say.

And in addition to abortion, God also apparently wants open borders, gun-free societies, tax-paid giveaways to the poor and climate change laws that reel back society to near car-less-ness — or at least, to a time when only the most powerful, most elite and wealthiest could afford to drive. (And if that happened to be Democrats and progressives, so be it). That’s the leftist view of God, anyway.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/27/religious-left-pressing-god-take-trump/

 

[LadyVer]

Who knew there was a religious left?

 

[Hard_Rom]

Who knew there was a religious left?

I think it only appears during times of great need to fight great evil.

 

[Ms_Ann]

I think it only appears during times of great need to fight great evil.

Great evil like abortion?

 

[LadyVer]

I think it only appears during times of great need to fight great evil.

Good point.

 

[Tryharder62]

Thanks. Now I can't get this cheer out of my head!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU3hkX1AXOs

 

[Hard_Rom]

Lots of long haired Jesus freaks on the left.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wU2DP0Ezts

 

[Phelia]

Interesting. First, I'm not convinced that there's evidence of this being anything more than talking head fodder.

If it is, I think it's less a response to Trump directly than it is to the broader christofascist movement on the right. Groups like Quiverfull have treated politics and religion as intrinsically linked for years. If a position can be cast as religious rather than political, it doesn't need evidence. It makes sense that religious people with different political opinions would a) react to an injection of (incompatible) politics into their beliefs and b) try to emulate a successful tactic.

But, I am not religious in the slightest, and would be very interested in hearing from a left-leaning person who is.

 

[phrodeau]

Great evil like abortion?

That's a lesser evil. Even Republicans get abortions.

 

[Disgustipated]

That's a lesser evil. Even Republicans get abortions.

Not nearly enough.

 

[Ms_Ann]

That's a lesser evil. Even Republicans get abortions.

Satan doesn't care about political affiliations.

 

[KingOrfeo]

Lots of long haired Jesus freaks on the left.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wU2DP0Ezts

They'll be ga-ga at the go-go, when they see me in my toga
My toga made of blond, brilliantined, biblical hair
My hair like Jesus wore it, Hallelujah I adore it
Hallelujah Mary loved her son, why don't my mother love me?

Hair, flow it, show it
Long as God can grow
My hair, flow it, show it
Long as God can grow
My hair, flow it, show it
Long as God can grow
My hair

 

[KingOrfeo]

Satan doesn't care about political affiliations.

Of course he does; pride of authorship, you know.

 

[LadyVer]

Interesting. First, I'm not convinced that there's evidence of this being anything more than talking head fodder.

If it is, I think it's less a response to Trump directly than it is to the broader christofascist movement on the right. Groups like Quiverfull have treated politics and religion as intrinsically linked for years. If a position can be cast as religious rather than political, it doesn't need evidence. It makes sense that religious people with different political opinions would a) react to an injection of (incompatible) politics into their beliefs and b) try to emulate a successful tactic.

But, I am not religious in the slightest, and would be very interested in hearing from a left-leaning person who is.

Left leaning religious folks take the separation of church and state seriously and do not believe it is healthy or smart that any religion be used to swing votes. Faith and religious beliefs are deeply personal and should not be used as tools for anything. Which feeds into the extreme religious right's belief that anyone on the left is atheist and secularly evil.

 

[KingOrfeo]

Faith and religious beliefs are deeply personal and should not be used as tools for anything.

C.S. Lewis would have agreed. His position was that "Christianity and" anything -- "Christianity and socialism," "Christian and pacifism," "Christianity and vegetarianism" (all of them phrases one was apparently bound to hear in Britain in the 1930-40s) diminishes the Christianity part; the point of Christianity is to save souls and get them into Heaven, and yoking it to any social or political cause distracts from that goal regardless of the merits of the cause. Which is not to say Christians should not be active in causes to which the morality of their faith drives them, but only that they should keep the faith separate from politics.

 

[Phelia]

Left leaning religious folks take the separation of church and state seriously and do not believe it is healthy or smart that any religion be used to swing votes. Faith and religious beliefs are deeply personal and should not be used as tools for anything. Which feeds into the extreme religious right's belief that anyone on the left is atheist and secularly evil.

I am on record many, many times as saying that while I fully support and will fight for people's right to believe whatever they like, belief has no place in politics or policy. Schools should teach science. Churches should pay taxes.

But I don't think the separation is always as clean as we would like to believe. Politics is people. People have identities. Religion is an important component of some people's identities, and the article is describing a change in behavior where the personal has become political.

 

[Ms_Ann]

Of course he does; pride of authorship, you know.

I can't wait for the GB to get behind the religious left.

 

[RobDownSouth]

Left leaning religious folks take the separation of church and state seriously and do not believe it is healthy or smart that any religion be used to swing votes. Faith and religious beliefs are deeply personal and should not be used as tools for anything. Which feeds into the extreme religious right's belief that anyone on the left is atheist and secularly evil.

It's been a few months since the election and they've done some serious number crunching on voting blocs and demographics.

One of the most fascinating factoids was the relationship between Trump and the self-identified "evangelical Christian". It seems that, among evangelical Christians, the LESS you attended church, the MORE likely you were to vote for Trump. If you went to church on a weekly basis, far fewer (percentage wise) supported Trump, and if you were REALLY involved in church (2+ times a week or more), you sat out this election (or voted third party).

These "unchurched evangelicals" make me wonder: are they really accepting Christ or using Him as a convenient smokescreen to hide their authoritarian agenda?

 

[Disgustipated]

I am on record many, many times as saying that while I fully support and will fight for people's right to believe whatever they like, belief has no place in politics or policy. Schools should teach science. Churches should pay taxes.

But I don't think the separation is always as clean as we would like to believe. Politics is people. People have identities. Religion is an important component of some people's identities, and the article is describing a change in behavior where the personal has become political.

You're gottdamn right.

 

[HisArpy]

They should be aware of the Johnson Amendment to the tax code which prohibits PARTISAN political activities by 501c tax exempt organizations. The IRS is very clear on what constitutes an violation which can lead to removal of tax exempt status.

Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes.

Certain activities or expenditures may not be prohibited depending on the facts and circumstances. For example, certain voter education activities (including presenting public forums and publishing voter education guides) conducted in a non-partisan manner do not constitute prohibited political campaign activity. In addition, other activities intended to encourage people to participate in the electoral process, such as voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, would not be prohibited political campaign activity if conducted in a non-partisan manner.

On the other hand, voter education or registration activities with evidence of bias that (a) would favor one candidate over another; (b) oppose a candidate in some manner; or (c) have the effect of favoring a candidate or group of candidates, will constitute prohibited participation or intervention.

https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-p...n-by-section-501-c-3-tax-exempt-organizations

These churchs can educate their parishioners, but they can't advocate ANY ONE SIDED political position while doing so. It seems as if they are doing exactly that.

 

[Ms_Ann]

Religious people shouldn't be allowed to vote.

 

[adrina]

That's a lesser evil. Even Republicans get abortions.

Abortion isn't evil. Abortion - and the full compliment of family planning services - is good for the family, women, children, the economy and society.

 

[KingOrfeo]

I can't wait for the GB to get behind the religious left.

Well, they are Christians, after all . . . but, that's OK, I can get behind them, I have a hazmat suit.

 

[phrodeau]

They should be aware of the Johnson Amendment to the tax code which prohibits PARTISAN political activities by 501c tax exempt organizations. The IRS is very clear on what constitutes an violation which can lead to removal of tax exempt status.



https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-p...n-by-section-501-c-3-tax-exempt-organizations

These churchs can educate their parishioners, but they can't advocate ANY ONE SIDED political position while doing so. It seems as if they are doing exactly that.

Trump has promised to "totally destroy the Johnson Amendment."

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/02/politics/johnson-amendment-trump/