Democrats rethinking religion?

Democrats Push for Own Religious Voice

With a leading poll showing only one in four Americans viewing the Democratic Party as friendly to religion, [David] Wilhelm and a broad-based group of Christian Democratic activists are starting an Internet effort to organize religious voters whose views might be compatible with Democrats.

The site, http://www.FaithfulDemocrats.com, will go online Tuesday and showcase theologians, party strategists, political leaders and bloggers in hopes of conducting a national discussion on politics and faith.

I'm generally not very interest in political party issues or in political organization. But I think there is a broader point in this article, and the article could signal an important development.

As the article points out later, the 'left' , in the words of Barack Obama, 'cannot abandon the field of religious discourse' and expect to be successful nationally. I believe he has been proven right in recent national elections.

There is a religious left in America, but they don't really have a home. Much of the political left in this country is hostile toward religious groups and arguments. I believe this is largely do to the issue of abortion. A key argument from the left- that the 'religious right' is attempting to 'force' their religious perspective on the rest of America- causes left leaning activists and politicians to be uncomfortable with religious dialogue in politics. To embrace religious groups and views would undermine a key argument- although not a very powerful one- of the 'pro-choice' crowd.

The religious left has a natural home in the Democratic party on issues of the environment, economic justice, and opposition to the unecessary use of war in foreign policy. But, the Democrats- at least those Democrats that seem to have overwhelming influence in the party organizations and in primary voting- are not willing or capable of reaching out to this religious left.

At times people have accused the Republicans of being a litmus test party on the issue of abortion. I'm not sure that the same argument would not apply to the Democrats. Can an anti-abortion (at least opposed to abortion as a method of birth control) Democrat rise through the party? It does not appear so- even if that Democrat is really a member of the religious left on all the other issues. So long as the Democrats continue to hold religion at arm's length, I do not believe they will, with any consistancy- be able to achieve national political success.

This is a weakness in the Democratic party. But, more important, because the religious left are left homeless, it is a weakness for the nation. If this weakness is overcome, it is to the good of the nation and our political process.

GP