Dear Voter: God loves me

...about it and engaging in what its ene- mon mind about world peace and the God is being put to use, as idols are, to mies call "priestcraft") might be expect- power of religion to bring it about, or at the more important end of getting ed to be encouraged, and if the talk shifts least the help religion might offer in that someone elected...

...blocked by China, and no one wants to Commonweal 7 October 6, 2000...

...of these atrocities are answered by beheaded, as bad as the religious pander- Why, then, do I find both the Millenni- lievers with an appeal to a higher staning of Gore and Lieberman and Bush, um Summit and much of the celebra- dard: Those people aren't really Christhe last of whom seems to think that tion of Lieberman pathetic...

...Maybe we ists could argue for the truth of their po- lar assumption that religion is a private shouldn't be surprised when religious sition on the ground that none of those affair, a matter only of personal taste, like people want more respect from the eswho invoke the name of God for political interior decoration...

...The Dalai Lama was gracious enough "You're coming along just fine-tomorrow, you can try meditating to send a message, but his presence was without the training wheels...

...All ketplace strike me as completely wrong- a right to say everything he has said...

...with the use of God's name in a presily...

...Religion Al Gore's choice of Joe Lieberman was religion matters much more than politics should, rather, challenge them...

...Gandhi and Martin tablished political and economic powreasons have been struck dead...

...Maybe all they want is for those if they were it would mean that the God of religion to bring about social change- powers to recognize how cozy the reliof the fundamentalists is in charge of the and I suppose that is where my problem gious already are, how much a part of universe, in which case I would be in starts, because the use of God's name in the established order they have grown danger, and so, probably, would you...

...It is as if it becomes important because the powerful have noticed and DEAR VOTER: GOD LOVES ME endorsed it, the way some people found And so should you Buddhism interesting for the first time when the movie star Richard Gere became a Buddhist...

...Jesus was a political philosopher...

...a presidential campaign, or the effort to accustomed to being...

...And although Lieberman's expressed priests in the Rwandan genocide, OrAt the same time, the objections ex- piety makes me as uncomfortable as thodox nationalism of the sort that expressed by the Anti-Defamation League anything else that comes out of a politi- cuses the burning of mosques and the and others who think that all discussion cian's mouth, I have no doubt that his murder of enemies, the variety of Islam of religion must be kept out of the mar- commitment is sincere, and that he has that can co-exist easily with slavery...

...It was paid for by large corporations and convened at the United Nations...

...don't know whether to be offend the Chinese government...

...But religion itself has much to answer as happy as some other people are at his There is something worthy in this...

...Ted Turner, who has called Christianity a religion for losers (he is right in ways he can't fathom), addressed them, but since he helped pay for the event, he gets to...

...have shown the power ers...

...Athe- It is not because I agree with the secu- Is this the best we can do...

...make religion look more important to the leaders of corporations and heads of state, JOHN GARVEY puts religion firmly on the wrong side of the fence...

...Those of us who are involved in some The point of the Millennium Summit dential campaign is that this really is way with religion (in my case, writing was to come as dose as possible to a com- taking the name of the Lord in vain...

...tians (or Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc...

...though Luther King Jr...

...El In the middle of all the American God-talk, we have had a Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders...

...Important as the UN to a more serious level that would be direction...

...But I am not partic- might be vital to the process of peace- proval of the world's leaders is not what ularly taken by what's out there so far...

...The idea that religious leaders may be, to seek the attention and apreasonable enough...

...making is important, as is the idea that religion should be about...

...Ted Turner's was not the only power felt there...

...politically intelligent, though I am not to the lives of a great many people...

...The Not that I am against making friends encouraged or discouraged pincers of Turner and China pretty with the Mammon of Iniquity when it I by the way religion has much indicate the limits, and the worth, might do some real good...

...for: the apparent complicity of some public recommendations of religion...

...The problem been all over the news late- of this sort of thing...