Baptist religious liberty agency decries use of religion for political purposes

April 22, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A planned telecast to combat what organizers have described as a "filibuster against people of faith," is a blatant exploitation of religion for partisan political purposes, says a Baptist religious liberty organization.

The telecast, organized by the Family Research Council to protest Democrats' use of filibuster rules to avoid votes on President Bush's most conservative nominees, will originate from Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky. The telecast reportedly will be available to other churches and groups and will include Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.

Baptist Joint Committee Executive Director J. Brent Walker said the use of faith and people of faith in this way is harmful to religion.

"It is quite proper for people of faith to weigh in on the policy decisions of the day, including debates over parliamentary procedures like the filibuster rule in the Senate," Walker said. "But it is a shameful abuse of religion to suggest that God has taken up sides in the debate. There are people of faith on both sides; neither has God in their hip pocket on this issue."

Walker said "it is as wrong to sacralize secular policy issues as it is to banish religious voices from the debate."

"Whatever our differences on the filibuster rule or on the confirmation of judicial nominees, we should all recognize that the opinions offered are not inspired by anti-religious bias," Walker said. "Debate about whether a nominee is fit to serve in the secular office of judge is not only legitimate, but goes to the essence of the confirmation process. No one is or should be denied the right to serve because of religion, but religiously inspired policy positions are fair game for public scrutiny."