"Religious Left"


A Pagan writer examines the possibilities
I ran across this article by Jason Pitzl-Waters at the Wild Hunt Blog. He's addressing the need for a progressive equivalent of the Religious Right.

The real question in my mind isn't if there is going to be a "Religious Left", the question is if we are going to have a "Religious Left" or a "Spiritual Progressives" movement. The difference to some may seem a trifle, but for those who adhere to a minority faith the issue is one of recognition and inclusion. Lerner's movement is messy and all over the place, it welcomes "fringe" groups (like modern Pagans). It doesn't have a timetable, and is more concerned with building long-term connections between different faith groups. Wallis on the other hand is far more pragmatic. He wants votes and to shift the public's focus from "righty Jesus" to "lefty Jesus" (from gays to the poor). You can guess who the Democrats are cozying up to in anticipation of the 2008 elections.

The problem with Wallis (and those like Wallis) winning the crown of the new "Religious Left" is that it sidelines other faiths into cheering on their favorite version of Jesus instead of crafting a multi-religious counter-message to conservative Christian talking points. That strategy may win more votes in the short term but it won't build a long-lasting movement in the shifting sands of American religion. While the values of Wallis may be more in line with the "spiritual progressives" than with the conservative Christians currently in power, we shouldn't forget that much is left unsaid when you replace a "conservative" evangelical with a "moderate" one.

While I understand Mr. Pitzl-Waters concern, I'm not convinced that a progressive religious alliance would be better than a conservative one. I suspect that both are highly statist. My alternative would be to keep religious groups and government strictly seperated.

I've said it before. Religion cannot be allowed the coercive power of government. And government cannot be allowed the moral justification of religion.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Thu - June 29, 2006 at 05:01 AM  Tag


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