August (Web-only) 2000

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"Can a Democrat and a Jew pull off what a conservative Christian couldn't" by infusing every speech with religious language, ask The Washington Post's Hanna Rosin and Ceci Connolly. "If he gets away with it, is it a double standard? Each time Lieberman pushes the church and state boundary, both Christians and civil libertarians are on alert." It seems that the freedom Lieberman has been given to quote Scripture at every turn (while avoiding talk about how faith might impact specific policies) is coming to a close. The Anti-Defamation League is asking the vice-presidential candidate to cease making "overt expressions" of faith in a political context. Meanwhile, the Heritage Foundation's Joseph Loconte is criticizing Lieberman for not taking his faith far enough: "[Lieberman's nomination] signals not the mixing of religion and politics but, rather, the enfeebling of religious belief as a guide to public policy," Loconte writes in the Los Angeles Times. Despite all the God talk, a towering assumption goes unchallenged: Religious convictions ought not to influence the political process. … At issue is not the sincerity of the candidates' faith but the fact that they have chosen to confine their beliefs to the sanctuary. This cannot be good for democracy." Speaking of vice-presidential candidates, Republican nominee Dick Cheney will reportedly be emphasizing his Christian faith this week. He's speaking to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes group today.

Religious leaders from around the world are meeting at the Millennium World Peace Summit at the United Nations. They include Israel's Rabbi Meir ...