EDITORIAL: Unlikely pair propose debate question_101804

Posted: 10/15/04

EDITORIAL:
Unlikely pair propose debate question

Politics really does make strange bedfellows. The day after the third presidential debate, Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance, and Paul Weyrich, chairman of the Free Congress Foundation, wrote a joint letter, thanking debate moderator Bob Schieffer for asking George W. Bush and John Kerry “a central question on faith and policy.”

Few Christians could be further apart politically than Gaddy of the left and Weyrich of the right. But before the third debate, they teamed up to ask Schieffer to “raise questions in the presidential debates about the influence of the candidates' religion and personal faith in making public policy.”

Schieffer complied. His 18th question of the night was, “What part does your faith play on your policy decisions?”

Both candidates then talked about their spiritual lives. “I'm mindful in a free society that people can worship if they want to or not. You're equally an American if you choose to worship an almighty and if you choose not to. … Prayer and religion sustain me. I receive calmness in the storms of the presidency,” President Bush said at one point. Sen. Kerry said, in part: “Everything is a gift from the Almighty. … As president, I will always respect everybody's right to practice religion as they choose–or not to practice–because that's part of America.”

Some Christians in America complain of being shoved to the sidelines of culture. You can understand their feelings, especially if you selectively sample mass-media images. But the religious undertones of the 2004 presidential election are fascinating. Both candidates have courted Christians while taking care not to ostracize people of other faiths or of no faith. Bush and Kerry both profess their faith in Christ. In their third debate, they talked about how their religious views empower their actions. Bush set his positions on abortion and homosexuality in the context of his faith. Kerry explained that his stands on justice and care for the poor stem from his theological understanding.

And Schieffer realized faith matters to American voters. He asked the question during a prime-time broadcast.

Also heartening was Gaddy and Weyrich's cooperation. They disagree on many issues. But they understand millions of Americans believe faith is part of the fabric of life, and voters can't make informed decisions unless they know more about the candidates' religious feelings and beliefs.

In their appeal to Schieffer, Gaddy and Weyrich suggested several questions people of faith can ask to better understand the candidates:

What role should and does your religious faith and values play in creating public policy?

What active steps have you taken and will you continue to take to show respect for the variety of religious beliefs among your constituents?

Should an office-holder's use of religious language reflect his/her own religious tradition, or be more broadly inclusive?

How do you balance the principles of your faith and your pledge to defend the Constitution, particularly when the two come into conflict?

Voters should seek answers to these questions during this election season.
–Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com