The Resurgent Religious Left

From the Washington Post:

The religious left is back.

Long overshadowed by the Christian right, religious liberals across a wide swath of denominations are engaged today in their most intensive bout of political organizing and alliance-building since the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements of the 1960s, according to scholars, politicians and clergy members.

In large part, the revival of the religious left is a reaction against conservatives' success in the 2004 elections in equating moral values with opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.

Religious liberals say their faith compels them to emphasize such issues as poverty, affordable health care and global warming. Disillusionment with the war in Iraq and opposition to Bush administration policies on secret prisons and torture have also fueled the movement.

About damned time! And while I agree that the left certainly embodies more 'Christian' principals (reducing poverty, care for the sick and hungry, etc.) I'm not convinced attempting to create a polar opposite to the Religious Right is a good idea.

No nation is ever better for having two opposed groups of people claiming to know what God wants the government to do.

Liberal / Progressive politics is by its nature inclusive. Any coalition of religious Progressives would (presumably) include portions of the Catholic Church, Main Line Protestant denominations, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims and people who would consider themselves believers, if not members of specific organized religions. This inclusiveness is both a strength and a weakness. While the Religious Right can use the same language and code words, drawn from a narrow faith, the Left will need to draw from various traditions. This inclusiveness is demonstrative of liberal ideals and fits well with the American Tradition of religious tolerance but it does not help distill a message.

If the rise of a Religious Left helps bring about an end to terms like 'values voter' and removes Republican overtones from things like 'moral majority' it's a good thing. It's possible that rising Progressive Religion could provide an alternative (or at least the perception that the existing alternative is a viable one) for some of the more reluctant members of the Religious Right. As elections walk the razors edge, a few percentage points either way can determine elections.

The Republican Party has become an organization tied securely to the desires of two groups, corporatists and religious fundamentalists. Their relationship is one of convenience, not one of ideology. Progressive believers should be drawn to Progressive politics because our positions already reflect their beliefs about peace, poverty, and health care. As a movement, we must be careful not to become tied to a religious movement in the way that Republicans have. Not because it could cost us elections but because embracing a single religious identity would be abandoning one of our core values.

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