FEBRUARY 24, 2003

GOVERNMENT
Must politicians practice what they preach?

More and more politicians are wearing their religious beliefs as they would a campaign button -as a way of attracting voters. Talking about religion can help them connect with constituents in a meaningful way, as President Bush showed in his recent State of the Union speech and his words at the memorial service for the Columbia astronauts. It can also set up expectations - for both voters and religious leaders - that a politician may not be able to meet in the quid pro quo world of politics.

Many politicians walk a tightrope when their voting records or actions appear to conflict with the teaching of their religion. Trent Lott, a Southern Baptist, recently resigned as Senate majority leader when he came under fire from leaders of his denomination and many others for comments that were perceived as racist. President Bush is facing criticism from peace activists - including some from his own United Methodist denomination - who say he is using religious language but not listening to religious reasoning. And the race for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination already includes a preacher - the Rev. Al Sharpton - and a modern Orthodox Jew - Sen. Joseph Lieberman - who talks prominently about his faith.

Roman Catholic politicians were recently warned by the Vatican not to support positions that run counter to church doctrine. The Vatican's Jan. 16 pronouncement carries no punishment, and many Catholic politicians quickly responded by saying they represent all the people in their state or districts and will not take orders from the Vatican. Still, the religious sincerity of Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, for example, was immediately and publicly questioned by some.

How do your local politicians integrate their faith with their public service? Do voters see ways that politicians' religion enhances their public work? How have voters and religious communities responded to politicians who they believe don't "practice what they preach"? What price have these politicians paid at the polls?

Why it matters
Many Americans say moral leadership is important, but this country also has a long tradition of the people in the pews dissenting from official teaching. As more politicians make their religious beliefs a conspicuous part of their public lives, do voters expect them to toe the line with church doctrine, or do they evaluate politicians' morality and values outside the tests of organized religion?

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National sources

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• Ronald Walters is director of the African-American Leadership Institute at the University of Maryland and is frequently cited analyst on African-American politics. He wrote African-American Leadership (SUNY Press, 1999). Contact 301-405-1787, rwalters@academy.umd.edu.
• Stephen L. Carter is a professor at Yale Law School in New Haven, Conn. His books include The Culture of Disbelief: How American Law and Politics Trivialize Religious Devotion (Doubleday, 1994). Contact Stephen.carter@yale.edu.
• Michael J. Perry is a professor at the Wake Forest University School of Law in Winston-Salem, N.C. His books include Religion, Politics, and Nonestablishment (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming in 2003) and Religion in Politics: Constitutional and Moral Perspectives (Oxford University Press, 1997). Contact 336-758-5457, perrymj@law.wfu.edu.
• Alan Wolfe is a professor of political science at Boston College and director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life. Contact 617-552-1862, 617-552-4160, alan.wolfe.1@bc.edu.
• William D'Antonio is professor at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He follows the Catholic Church's role in U.S. politics. Contact 202-319-5911, dantonio@cua.edu.
• Judie Brown is president of the American Life League. Her organization put out a list called the "Dirty Dozen" in which Catholic politicians who support abortion rights were taken to task for defying church doctrine. Contact 540-659-4171.
• Nathan J. Diament is the director of the Institute for Public Affairs of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the nation's largest orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, in Washington, D.C. He can discuss the relationship between Orthodox Judaism and politics. Contact 202-513-6494.
• Dr. Bill Merrell is vice president for the committee relations for the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville. Contact 615-782-8609.

Background

• A 1999 Shell Poll found that 75 percent of respondents said they were bothered by elected officials "being hypocritical by talking about values that they don't personally live by" while only 20 percent were bothered when elected officials did not work to improve the country's moral values.
• A 2000 study by Jews and the American Public Square found that Sen. Joseph Lieberman's openness about his faith during his vice presidential campaign may have caused Jewish voters to be more wary of giving religion too great a role in public life.
• January 10, 2003, article on ABC News' web site on a poll on religion and politics and society by the nonprofit and nonpartisan research center Public Agenda.
• Read a Public Agenda survey called "For Goodness Sakes: Why So Many Want Religion to Play a Greater Role in American Life." The poll, sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts, found that many Americans want their political leaders to be more religious. However, 58 percent say it would be wrong to consider a candidate's religion when voting. The poll also found that many are "suspicious of politicians who wear their religion on their sleeve" and they believe even devout politicians should compromise on issues such as gay rights, abortion and the death penalty.
• Dr. Bill Merrell, vice president for committee relations for the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention - the nation's largest Protestant denomination, which includes many politicians - said it is up to individual churches to take action against members who do not live up to the denomination's teachings. However, the SBC has passed resolutions chiding Southern Baptist politicians, most notably former President Bill Clinton, who vote or live in ways contrary to SBC beliefs. Like the Vatican proclamation, the resolutions carry no formal punishment. But Merrell said they could affect the way church members vote, as does any publicity that points to discrepancies between a politician's professed beliefs and actions. He pointed to the fate of former Arkansas Sen. Tim Hutchinson. Although his voting record was consistent with the denomination's teachings, fellow Southern Baptists said they were offended when Hutchinson left his wife of almost 30 years and married a much younger staff member. He lost his bid for re-election. As Merrell said, "It's not a thing we take lightly."
• Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman began a national debate on political candidates' openness about their religion when he brought his Orthodox Jewish faith to the forefront of his campaign for vice president in 2000, and he's talking about his faith again as he seeks the 2004 Democratic nomination for president. Unlike politicians in other denominations such as Catholicism, which is hierarchical, it's difficult for a Jewish organization to take a politician to task, according to Nathan J. Diament, director of the Institute for Public Affairs of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. That's because of the way Jewish law is interpreted, he said. He said that while one rabbi may find that a view on a moral issue expressed by Lieberman runs contrary to Jewish teaching, there would almost certainly be another rabbi who will find support in the Talmud for it. Diament said about the only issue in which a Jewish politician could risk alienating huge numbers of American Jews is Israeli-Palestinian relations. Contact 212-613-8123.
• Read a Jan. 16, 2003, article on the website of Religious Tolerance. It offers a breakdown of the Vatican proclamation, along with reaction from Catholic politicians.
• An archived transcript from PBS' Religion and Ethics Weekly. The story looks at the 2000 presidential candidates' use of religion during the campaign.
• Read a Jan. 18, 2003, article on WorldNet Daily on the Vatican's proclamation. WorldNet Daily is an independent Internet news site.
• Read a Nov. 16, 2002, commentary in World on the Web, which provides the news from a Christian angle. The article deconstructs the results of the mid-term elections. It states that Christian conservatives swept former Arkansas Sen. Tim Hutchinson out of office because of his behavior in his personal life.
• Read a Dec. 20, 2002, Associated Baptist Press article about Southern Baptists' reaction to Trent Lott's resignation as Senate majority leader.
• Read a 2003 beliefnet.com article about President Bush's evolving theology.