More Americans Question Religion's Role in Politics

Some Americans are having achange of heart about mixing religion and politics. A new national survey finds a narrow majority of the public saying that churches and other houses of worship should keep out of political matters and not express their views on day-to-day social and political matters. For a decade, majorities of Americans had voiced support for religious institutions speaking out on such issues. The latest survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted from July 31-Aug. 10 among 2,905 adults, reveals that most of the reconsideration of the desirability of religious involvement in politics has occurred among conservatives. Four years ago, just 30% of conservatives believed that churches and other houses of worship should stay out of politics. Today, 50% of conservatives express this view. The new survey finds that conservatives' views on this issue are much more in line with the views of moderates and liberals than was previously the case. Similarly, the sharp divisions between Republicans and Democrats that previously existed on this issue have disappeared.

• JJ Commentary: Yet another sign that the Christian foundation of our country is continuing to erode.

Praise Report

WASHINGTON — Tens of thousands of evangelical Christians converged on the National Mall here Saturday to highlight moral issues before the fall presidential election with a day of fasting, prayer and music. Organizers of TheCall DC said 70,000 people turned out for the event, though that number could not be confirmed independently by the National Park Service. "It was a spiritual confrontation," said Lou Engle, the evangelical activist who founded TheCall in 2000, "challenging the nation to end abortion and releasing God to act on behalf of ... the unborn." The 12-hour event featured a variety of speakers, including former Republican presidential candidate and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and Anita King, niece of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Fighting abortion took center stage, but a range of issues was addressed, including immigration and gay marriage. Engle warned of the "homosexual agenda," and announced a plan for "40 days of prayer and fasting for California" ahead of the state's fall referendum on gay marriage. TheCall was first held here eight years ago, when an estimated 400,000 people attended the event. Similar Calls have been held in 12 cities and six countries.

Tolerance of All - Except Christianity

A senior Muslim cleric who is a prominent justifier of suicide bombings met last week with senators and congressmen and consulted last month with Secretary of State Condoleezza RiceSheik Taysir Tamimi, chief Palestinian justice, also claimed in a recently released book for which he was interviewed that the Torah was "falsified," Jewish and Christian history were "invented," the Jewish Temples never existed and the Al Aqsa Mosque was built by angels. "I am very glad to have this occasion to speak to Congress and the Senate and have access to groups and individuals that form American policy," said Tamimi in a statement.

"I emphasized in the meetings the importance of religious coexistence and that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be solved without creating a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital," the he said. "I emphasized in the meetings the importance of religious coexistence and that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be solved without creating a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital," the he said. Tamimi is considered the second most important Palestinian cleric after Muhammad Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. He met in Washington last week with a slew of lawmakers as part of a new interfaith religious organization – the Council for Religious Institutions in the Holy Land – formed with the stated purpose of promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace.

• JJ Commentary: Can you imagine the howling protests if a Christian leader was given similar access to Congress and said that Muhammad was a madman?

Bush's Roots Exposed

A presidential proclamation in honor of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Va., whose settlers were dispatched from England with the primary goal of furthering the Christian faith, doesn't mention Christianity"America looks to our leaders in moments of historic importance to remind us of our foundations as a free people. Historically American presidents have taken the opportunity of the celebration of Jamestown to point out that this experiment in liberty was first dedicated to God," said Doug Phillips. He is president of Vision Forum Ministries and the founder of the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of America's Providential History, Vision Forum's own series of events to celebrate the quadricentennial June 11-16.

"On the other hand, the absence of any direct reference to God or Christianity is deeply troubling. It's troubling because none of these things make sense at all apart from the context, and the context was a nation birthed by individuals who sought to bring the Gospel, the Bible and a Christian law order to North America," Phillips said.

• JJ Commentary: Although President Bush appears to be a devout Christian and was elected in 2004 because of his pro-Christian values, he has repeated missed opportunities to support this country’s Christian roots. He aligns himself much more closely to the secular, globalist agenda of the New World (Dis)Order

The Gutless Church

As homosexuals and lesbians in Africa celebrate the legalization of same-sex "marriage" in South Africa, the head of one of the continent's leading church associations has chosen not to speak out on the matter. Rev. Mvume Ndadala, general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), said in comments made through a personal assistant that the AACC represented a "diversity" of Christians, and it would be inappropriate to give a common perspective on the issue.

The remarks are seen here as indicating that mainline churches in Africa may be softening their stance on same-sex unions, despite the strong objections by many Christian and traditionalist Africans. The AACC is an ecumenical fellowship representing more than 120 million Christians in 39 African countries. South Africa last week became the first country in Africa to legalize same-sex "marriages" when parliament approved the move following sometimes rancorous political debate across the country.

• JJ Commentary: It is the lack of speaking out that has allowed the enemy to impose his agenda on our governments. This alone is reason enough for Christians to get involved in political issues and not remain with their heads stuck in the sand.