November (Web-only) 2004

ARTICLE TOOLS

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Unlike many pundits, we're rather keen on the idea of politicians talking about their faith, and of churches taking about public policy. But boy, are we tired of linking to bajillions of news articles and commentaries on the subject, and can't wait until they slow down tomorrow.

Many articles to read today. And you'd better get it all in: Much of this may be obsolete in few hours.

Note: These are stories from Saturday-Monday. We'll be posting Tuesday stories later today.

Religion & politics:

• IRS investigating 60 tax-exempt groups | About 60 charities, churches and other tax-exempt groups are being investigated for potentially breaking federal rules that bar them from participating in political activity, the Internal Revenue Service said Friday (Associated Press)
• Religion guides minister's liberal causes | Three months ago, the Rev. Brenda Bartella Peterson was preaching on a national stage — appointed to advise Democrats in their attempt to close a much-publicized "God gap," or the tendency of regular churchgoers to vote Republican. But within days of her appointment, Peterson, a former Kentuckian, resigned amid an outcry over her earlier call for the U.S. Supreme Court to remove the phrase "under God" from public school recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance (The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.)
• Shades of theocracy | Is it healthy for a secular democracy to have religious voting blocs? (M. Zuhdi Jasser, The Arizona Republic)
• When priests play politics | The political actions of Protestant black and evangelical pastors and those of Catholic bishops are not the same (J. Douglas Allen-Taylor, AlterNet)
• When you pray, go into the Oval Office and shut the door | The U.S. Constitution bars religious test for office, but that doesn't mean politicians don't pander to it or that voters don't pay attention to it (Randolph D. Brandt, The Journal Times, Racine, Wi.)