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The Art of Politics

"A Letter From Walter"

By Judy Osborne

Walter Cronkite sent me a letter the other day.

Walter probably forgot my name, because the letter was addressed to "Dear Friend" And Walter asked me for money. Still, I was glad he wrote to me and I sent him some money.

For those who are media-challenged or too young to remember, Walter Cronkite anchored the CBS Evening News through many turbulent times. He was the most trusted person in television, a father figure to us all. Nobody of similar stature works in the media today.

Walter is worried. "For a decade," he says "I have watched with growing apprehension the rise to real political influence in our country of a genuinely radical movement known as the religious right wing."

"This movement, whose lead organization calls itself the Christian Coalition, has a militant ideology -- one that encourages deep hostility toward those who disagree with its agenda."

"It is lavishly funded. According to published reports, the Christian Coalition alone has an annual operating budget in excess of $20 million."

Walter goes on the to say that, I consider myself a person of faith. I work very hard at being a Christian. And certainly, the Christian Coalition does not speak for me."

Walter's letter was written on behalf of The Interfaith Alliance. TIA's board lists an impressive array of leaders from churches such as United Methodist, Unitarian, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Episcopal, Baptist, Presbyterian, and many others.

TIA has begun a program to mobilize the vast majority of Christians who continue to believe our country was founded on principles which include freedom of faith and toleration of diversity. The organization distributes voter guides, encourages mainstream religious people to vote, identifies religious-right "stealth" candidates to voters, communicates regularly with clergy, and asks political candidates to "repudiate the use of religion to demonize those whose religious or political beliefs are different from mine."

The Washington State Association of Churches took a similar stand in opposition to the religious right during 1994. The religious right introduced statewide initiatives that year which would have legalized, and in some cases actually required, various forms of discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transpeople. The initiatives also would have eliminated any local laws protecting against such discrimination. The association of Churches voted unanimously to oppose the initiatives soon after the religious right started their campaign to place them on the ballot.

In rejecting the initiatives, the Association wrote a letter to churches and Christian communities throughout the State that said, "As Christians, we believe that ... God created the world and all that is in it - and for no other reason than that of love. We believe that Initiatives 608 and 610 divide, fragment and polarize. The stories of discrimination of gay and lesbian persons are bleak realities of this. For so long we have been bound by a culture of silence about this discrimination. We have often ignored these injustices. We are called to practice compassion and commitment to fairness. We must seek legal mechanisms which protect and not erode basic human rights."

A further ray of hope that opposition to the religious right is growing within church congregations was provided by Rev. Paul Doyle, pastor of the church in which The Emerald City meets. In a commentary entitled "An Army of Whose God?", Pastor Paul wrote "How sad to me that the perpetrators of such hate and violence are so perverse in their thinking that they justify their actions by calling themselves an 'Army of God'."

He went on to say "Under the banners of 'pro-family' and 'pro-life' the 'religious wrong' have only accomplished the alienation of people from a God whose desire it is that we all, whosoever, come into a place of spiritual kinship with our creator (John 3:16). They pretend to know a God whose teachings espouse the exact opposite of their actions."

Speaking of "these cowardly butchers who hide behind their interpretations and misuse of a 'word' that celebrates people loving one another," Pastor Paul offered his conviction that "they are guilty of the very mutilation of the body they pretend to defend."

Pastor Paul concluded by saying, "Please join me in prayer for them, that they come to a place of true understanding about a God they obviously know nothing about. Pray, and as true Christians, come out of the closet and be counted so the world might see God's true love in action, not just the hateful actions of people who don't even understand what the word Christian means."

For me, I'm inspired and heartened to realize that authentic, love-inspired Christianity continues to exist. I hope you are too. As Walter says in his letter, "... I am absolutely sure that the Christian Coalition does not speak for the great majority of men and women of faith in this country."

Comments? E-mail Judy at heyjude@eskimo.com

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