Religious Right and Politics

Brad Stetson (“Crusades Reap a Political Harvest,” Commentary, July 27) is certainly correct when he states that the religious right has organized successful grass-roots campaigns with underlying political implications. Since the 1980s no one can doubt the political savvy of evangelical Christians.

However, despite the political success of the religious right, mainstream America is not as easily polarized as the rhetoric of Stetson and others would proclaim. For example, opinion poll after opinion poll reveals that the people of this country believe a woman should have the right to an abortion although perhaps not an absolute right.

Stetson also stresses the power of moral absolutes derived from religious values as solidifying the right. While moral absolutes are indeed comforting, they are a type of ethical shortcut for the moral deliberation necessary to deal with an “increasingly ambiguous and unpredictable world.”

Even the conclusions of the Bible are not as clear as the religious right would like to believe. Jesus was faced with politically minded religious leaders who tried to trap him into a simple answer as to whether to pay taxes to Caesar or not. Jesus’ answer (pay Caesar what belongs to Caesar and pay God what belongs to God) demonstrated a keen understanding of the complexities of the situation and was neither an absolute nor a comforting response.

MAURICE HAMINGTON

San Gabriel

* Stetson appears to put the cart before the horse by declaring the Harvest Crusade as the origin of Christian resurgence. Christians will agree that a sovereign God is the origin, and while the crusades may be a tool or a catalyst, they are mainly the beneficiary, as is the Republican Party, of a worldwide move of God.

The Republicans have benefited by embracing non-negotiable biblical ethics such as stopping the murder of unborn babies, and speaking against behavior (sin) the Bible declares God does not approve of.

Christians should beware of being co-opted by right-wingers with a separate agenda, and should work hard to eliminate racial hatred and disparity. The historical leadership of Christians in racial civil rights cannot be abandoned as payoff to get abortion and family values to the political bargaining table.

I hope and pray that the Democratic Party will return to moral solvency, and again give Christian voters a real choice.

MICHAEL A. SANCHEZ

Hemet

* Stetson’s article appears to be missing some key points. The fathers of this country did not intend for political opinions and consequences to be the root of their commitment. “One Nation Under God” was not intended to leave room for liberal interpretation of biblical guidance. Liberal political values are man’s way of saying he can rationalize wrongdoing according to God’s word.

PETE RUSSO

Huntington Beach

* Stetson gushes that the gathering of 164,000 people over four days for an evangelical crusade translates into strong political force for the Republicans that the moderates and liberals can’t match.

Perhaps he is unaware that the recent Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Pride Festival drew 300,000 people in one afternoon. A similar festival in San Francisco the previous weekend also drew 300,000 people for a parade that lasted more than six hours. Even Long Beach drew almost 100,000 for its gay and lesbian festival. Does Stetson seriously believe these people vote Republican?

TIM PARKER

Long Beach