You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also. - Matthew 5: 38-39 (NRSV)
The Isaiah Platform

Voting On Faith: Progressive Religious Leaders Take Aim This Election

There are three new projects aimed at getting progressive people of faith to the polls this November that are worth checking out.

Vote ALL Your Values is a new national effort sponsored by several progressive faith groups.

Some vocal religious groups are claiming that our faith requires us to vote based on a narrow set of issues and values. We need to stand up as progressive people of faith and call Americans to vote ALL their values, including truth at all times, justice for all people, and community among all nations and faiths.

All God’s People is a new project in Missouri, a critical swing state.

Who are we? We are faithful Americans. We are Jews, Christians Muslims, and members of all the great faiths of our nation. We love our country and the values of liberty and justice for all upon which it was founded. We are a highly diverse group spiritually, theologically and culturally. And we have become increasingly uncomfortable with the current religious and political rhetoric that equates a radically right wing political platform with the sacred teachings of the Torah, the Gospels, the Koran and other sacred texts.

Responsible Citizenship: A Catholic Campaign for Civic Dialogue was started this fall by Harvard Divinity student Greg Mancini. I met Greg when he was interning with the Clergy Leadership Network and hold a high opinion of his work.

Searching for a more substantive and balanced dialogue on the inherent relationship between their Catholic faith and politics during this critical election year, a group of young adult Catholic leaders recently founded Responsible Citizenship, a unique initiative designed to educate young adult Catholics on political issues. Since its inception, Responsible Citizenship has been working with university communities, public figures, and national organizations across the country to organize events on college campuses and generate critical conversations on Catholic Social Teaching and current political issues, ranging from jobs to health care to abortion and the death penalty.

Visit all these sites. Religious progressives haven’t been this active or organized in a generation. This is all good news.

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