Terrence  discusses the theocratic movement in the U.S. -- and links to a lot of well-selected news stories and blog posts.  

I could go on, believe me, but I'll stop lest I come off as paranoid. I'll just add that it was items like the laundry list above that inspired me to add Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, The Baptizing of America: The Religious Right's Plans for the Rest of Us , and American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century to my reading list earlier this year, with the thought that I'd read them as a means of gaining some insight into the people, policies, and propaganda behind all of the above.

After reaching a critical mass... I decided not to wait for the paperback editions, bought the books one by one, and read them to see what they could tell me that I didn't already know. The answer? Plenty. Afterwards thought that I might eventually post a review of all three...   I recommend all three, but with a warning that it might whet the appetite for more.

We Unite Ohio

mylifeasadog discusses the remarkable lies told by Cincinatti religious right leader Phill Burress in a public debate with author and journalist Michelle Goldberg.

To say that "Mr. Burress" spoke untruths at the Goldberg/Burress dialogue (some of which are documented by Michelle at www.defconblog.org) , in Cincinnati this past Tuesday evening is to be kind indeed. While Michelle dealt in facts, his only goal was to come across as a concerned family man, truth be damned. As is usual these days, we steamed as he dissembled.

Wall of Separation

Jeremy Leaming debunks a silly screed by the editors of the Wall Street Journal that he says is "alarmist, riddled with egregious falsehoods and does little more than parrot long-discredited claims by the Religious Right" regarding effort by the IRS to compel non-profit, tax exempt organizations especially churches, to obey law proscribing electioneering with tax-exempt funds.

Daily Episcopalian

The Episcopal Church has been a prime target of the rightist Institute on Religion and Democracy and various satellite groups that have been systematically organizing to undermine the church and foment dissention and schism. Here is a report on two new organizations of progressive Episcopalians that have been formed to fight back.

Blog from the Capital

Don Byrd posts Brent Walker's, (executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs) condemnation of recent statements by Florida GOP Sentate Candidate Katherine Harris:  

Rep. Katherine Harris' ill-informed comments-calling the separation of church and state a lie, bemoaning our nation of secular laws, and suggesting only Christians should be elected to office-show a complete lack of respect for the religious diversity that is a hallmark of our nation.

Americans are a religious people. And, yes, Christianity has influenced our civic values and public policy. The separation of church and state does not require a segregation of religion from politics, God from government or Christians from duties of citizenship. But our civil compact-the Constitution-is a secular document. It never mentions Christianity and refers to religion only once and then to ban a religious test for public office.

America is one of the most religious and religiously diverse nations on earth. Despite our religious passion and pluralism, we have been able to avoid the religious conflicts that have punctuated history and plague much of the world today. This is so precisely because we have not allowed government to take sides in matters of religion.

Baptists, from Rhode Island-founder Roger Williams to Colonial evangelist John Leland in Virginia to former Pres. Jimmy Carter have championed the separation of church and state as an essential corollary to the overall goal of achieving genuine religious liberty for all.

In calling church-state separation a lie, Harris disregards history. In bemoaning our nation of secular laws, she misrepresents the nature of our government. In saying that non-Christians will only "legislate sin," she sets up her own religious test for office and maligns a whole class of public servants.

Street Prophets  

Pastordan, as usual, cuts through the fog of Beltway Insiderism. The Democratic Party, weirdly obsessed with appealing to conservative "moral values voters" has turned away from engaging the religious right.  While the occasion for Pastordan's piece is a dicussion of the latest Pew poll that shows that the Dems have made no progress with the public in appearing to be more "religion friendly" to the public (but the GOP is sinking in this regard) -- it is this odd tightening of the beltway around the brains of people that seems to prevent them from finding appropriate ways to discuss the role of religion in public life that connects with their values -- and puts them in a mood to fight for them against the rightist populism of the religious right.

Again as I've said before, the Democratic party doesn't have a religion problem. They have a consulting problem. What voters have learned from the inside-the-Beltway types is that Dems don't listen to their concerns. They've been asking Dems to be Dems for years now, to stand up to the Republicans on economic issues and the war. It's no wonder they're disgusted, considering the response they've gotten. Until the party learns to beat the perception that its leaders don't actually give a fig for what voters want, all the positioning in the world isn't going to help them.

The key to the puzzle of religion and politics won't be found at the top of the party, then, but in its grassroots. Barack Obama and Amy Sullivan can talk until they're blue in the face about "being friendly to religion," but until the ordinary Dem in the street can make that sale to the people he or she meets every day, they won't get much traction with it. The sooner we start rebuilding from the bottom up, the better. Amen.

People who find the Beltway is wound too tightly around their heads -- please see Pastordan.