Related articles and links |  1 of 13

Commentary to return tomorrow.

Justice Sunday:

• The right to impose Christianity | The religious right worked itself into a righteous fury at "Justice Sunday," using the stalemate over judges to tar Democrats as enemies of God. (Salon)
• Chandler, McConnell reflect split over Justice Sunday | Others in Congress are mum on issue (Courier-Journal, Louisville)
• Christians on the right go high-tech | Conservative Christian groups trying to characterize congressional filibusters on judicial nominees as "against people of faith" went high-tech with their message on Sunday. (Herald News, N.J.)
• All the king's men | I always thought that Satan and his legion of demons were the ones that stood "against people of faith." Right? So if I wish to maintain the filibuster as a mean of protecting the minority from the tyranny of the majority, then I'm in league with satanic forces? Forgive me for asking, but I thought as a Christian I was saved by faith, believing in my heart and confessing with my mouth that Jesus is my Lord. Does being saved now also mean supporting the rewriting of Senate rules? And not to vote the way Dobson instructs means that I'm not "really" a Christian? (Miguel A. De La Torre, Holland Sentinel, Mich.)
• 'Justice Sunday' raises the ire of both the left and right | The conservative campaign to fight Democratic filibusters has brought the religion & politics debate to a new juncture. (Religion News Service)
• The Democrats' intimidation tactics | Democrats have depicted the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family, which sponsored Sunday night's telecast from a church in Louisville, Ky., as demonizing liberal Democratic senators who use the filibuster to block judicial nominations as "anti-Christian." The conservative Christians are right to be upset over the way that Democratic pols and their allies, like People For the American Way, have intimated that judicial nominees who are Christian and who have criticized Roe v. Wade are "outside the mainstream" and unqualified for the federal bench. (Editorial, The Washington Times)
• Two who cry 'Wolf!' | With his support of the misbegotten event known as "Justice Sunday: Stop the Filibuster Against People of Faith," Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist managed to mainstream a dubious accusation that has been floating around for several years: that Democrats are invoking a religious litmus test against traditional Christians nominated for the federal bench. (Vincent Carroll, Rocky Mountain News, Col.)
• We need more talk and fewer media events | So call me a hopeless optimist, but my first thought upon reading about and watching the less than spontaneous Justice Sunday rally at Louisville's Highview Baptist Church was this: Wouldn't it be wonderful if all churches -- all religious sects -- were actually willing to openly discuss all political and judicial appointments inside their respective houses of worship? (Bob Hill, Courier-Journal, Louisville)
• Salazar target of 'Justice Sunday' protestors | Conservative Christian groups across the country staged a nationally broadcast rally Sunday night called "Justice Sunday." (CBS4 Denver, Col.)
• Nelson target of critical evangelical ads | Florida Sen. Bill Nelson is one of 20 Democrats targeted nationally by an evangelical Christian group pushing President George W. Bush's judicial nominees. (WESH, Fla.)

Religion & politics:

• Bad religion, bad politics | These are scary times. The nation is in the control of extremists who want to merge church and state. A line is crossed when religion demonizes politicians of certain religion -- or no religion -- and when the church-state separation is breached by people believing that their God is better than another God. (The Nation)

next page... |  1 of 13

April (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49