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NCC, coalition ask presidential candidates Washington, February 27, 2012 – A diverse coalition of national religious organizations, including the National Council of Churches, has called on presidential candidates to tone down their rhetoric about one another’s faith and avoid sowing religious discord.
A statement released ahead of the Presidents Day weekend – organized and
drafted by the Anti-Defamation League, the Baptist Joint Committee for
Religious Liberty and the Interfaith Alliance – said candidates should feel
comfortable explaining their religious convictions to voters. But the statement warned against placing an overt emphasis on religion, as “there is a point when an emphasis on religion becomes inappropriate and even unsettling in a religiously diverse society such as ours.” The Interfaith Statement of Principles, endorsed by 14 national religious
organizations, calls on all candidates for public office this election year
to help ensure decency, honesty and fair play in elections by conducting
campaigns that honor our nation’s traditions of religious liberty. Clare Chapman, Interim General Secretary of the National
Council of Churches, said she hoped candidates for high office will take the
statement to heart. “This nation was founded on ancient Judeo-Christian
principles and its religious cornerstone was that persons of all religions
or no religion be free to follow their conscience without interference by
the government,” Chapman said. “And that the government be free of political
pressure to favor one religious view over others.” “This statement of principles reaffirms our commitment to
freedom of religion as enshrined in the Constitution, and our message to all
candidates for public office is to set a proper tone where faith may be
openly discussed, but avoid overt appeals for support on the basis of
religion, or the denigration of another person’s views on the basis of
religion,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. “Candidates should
reject appeals to voters that reflect religious prejudice, bias or
stereotyping, and to avoid statements intended to encourage divisions along
religious lines.” “Candidates do not have to check their religion at the
door of the offices they seek. But they need to understand that they serve
people of other faiths and of no faith. Resorting to religious language that
sets people of faith against each other harms political discourse and sows
religious discord,” said J. Brent Walker, Executive Director, Baptist Joint
Committee for Religious Liberty. “I have been deeply disturbed by the disproportionate role
religion has played during recent election cycles with some candidates
seeming to be running for ‘pastor-in-chief’ rather than
‘commander-in-chief’. Candidates are free to speak about their faith – if
it’s important to them – as a way of giving voters insight on who they are,
but a line is crossed when a candidate implies that they should receive your
vote because of their faith. Religion is not a political football to be used
by candidates for tactical advantage, instead It should be a force that
brings diverse people together with mutual respect and understanding,” said
Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president of Interfaith Alliance. Because political candidates bear the primary
responsibility for setting the proper tone for elections, the statement
calls on all candidates for public office to:
●
Serve and be responsive to the full range of
constituents, irrespective of their religion; ●
Conduct their campaigns without appeals for support
based upon religion; ●
Reject appeals or messages to voters that reflect
religious prejudice, bias or stereotyping; ●
Avoid statements, actions or conduct that are intended
primarily to encourage division in the electorate along religious lines.
Endorsing organizations include the American Islamic
Congress, American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Baptist Joint
Committee for Religious Liberty, Interfaith Alliance, Islamic Society of
North America (ISNA), Hindu American Foundation, Muslim Advocates, National
Council of Churches USA, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund
(SALDEF), Sikh Coalition, Union for Reform Judaism, The United Methodist
Church - General Board of Church and Society, and United Church of Christ,
Justice and Witness Ministries.
The full statement follows:
Religion in political campaigns
Freedom of religion is one of our nation’s most cherished liberties. It is
at the very foundation of Candidates for public office are, of course, free to
worship as they choose. And they should feel comfortable explaining their
religious convictions to voters, commenting about their own religious
beliefs, explaining, if they wish to do so, how those beliefs shape their
policy perspectives, and how they would balance the principles of their
faith with their obligation to defend the Constitution if the two ever came
into conflict. There is a point, however, where an emphasis on religion in a political campaign becomes inappropriate and even unsettling in a religiously diverse society such as ours. Appealing to voters along religious lines is divisive. It is contrary to the American ideal of including all Americans in the political process, regardless of whether they are members of large and powerful religious groups, religious minorities, or subscribe to no faith tradition. Voters should be encouraged to make their decisions based upon their
assessment of the qualifications, integrity, and political positions of
candidates. A candidate’s religious beliefs – or lack thereof – should never
be used by voters, nor suggested by political candidates, as a test for
public office or as a shorthand summary of a candidate’s qualifications.
Candidates for office bear the primary responsibility for
setting the proper tone for elections. Anyone who legitimately aspires to
public office must be prepared to set an example and to be a leader for all
Americans, of all faiths or of no faith. What is ethical is every bit as important as what is
legal. Therefore candidates for public office should: ●
Attempt to fulfill the promise of ● Conduct their
campaigns without appeals, overt or implicit, for support based upon
religion. ● Reject appeals or
messages to voters that reflect religious prejudice, bias, or stereotyping. ● Engage in vigorous
debate on important and disputed issues, without deliberately encouraging
division in the electorate along religious lines, or between voters who
characterize themselves as religious and voters who do not.
Abiding by these principles, candidates for public office help ensure
decency, honesty, and fair play in political campaigns, and they honor
Signed, American Islamic Congress
American Jewish Committee
Anti-Defamation League
Baptist Joint Committee for
Religious Liberty
Interfaith
Islamic Society of Hindu American Foundation
Muslim Advocates
National Council of Churches Sikh American Legal Defense and
Education Fund (SALDEF) Sikh Coalition The United United
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