Americans Decry Senator Frist's Abuse of Religion for Political Gain

I'll never understand why Republicans think God has joined their ranks, and dissed all other political parties. They seriously don't seem to understand that God doesn't join political parties.

This weekend, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is joining right-wing extremist Dr. James Dobson in a political event, held at a Kentucky church event, to claim that God is appalled that Congress has approved only 205 of 215 judicial nominations by President Bush. (That approval rate of over 95% is one of the highest for any president.)

If these 10 nominations, resubmitted by the President, are passed on by the Senate Judiciary Committee to a vote by the full Senate, Democrats are threatening to filibuster the vote on the most unqualified nominees. Both political parties have used the filibuster for over 200 years...It's not an uncommon practice.

What's particularly wrong and immoral about Frist's pseudo-Christian event this weekend is the crass exploitation of religion to accomplish a political goal. Others feel the same....

From Senator Richard Durbin (D-Illinois)..."I cannot imagine that God - with everything he has or she has to worry about - is going to take the time to debate the filibuster in heaven/"

From the New York Times...."The message is that the Democrats who oppose a tiny handful of President Bush's judicial nominations are conducting an assault 'against people of faith.' By that, Senator Frist and his allies do not mean people of all faiths, only those of their faith.

It is one thing when private groups foment this kind of intolerance. It is another thing entirely when it's done by the highest-ranking member of the United States Senate, who swore on the Bible to uphold a Constitution that forbids the imposition of religious views on Americans. Unfortunately, Senator Frist and his allies are willing to break down the rules to push through their agenda - in this case, by creating what the senator knows is a false connection between religion and the debate about judges."

From the National Jewish Democratic Council...."Frist will be leading the charge, using this telecast to help divide Americans while exploiting faith and feeding religious discord. Jewish leaders have been appalled. ADL National Director Abraham Foxman said that 'playing the 'religious' card is as unacceptable as playing the race card.' "

And from Senator Mark Pryor (D-Arkansas)...Their tactics threaten "to make the followers of Jesus Christ just another special-interest group," Pryor said in a conference call with Arkansas reporters. "It is presumptuous of them to think that they represent all Christians in America, even to say they represent all evangelical Christians," added Pryor, 42, a first-term Democrat who has considered himself an evangelical Christian for 25 years.

When will the Bush and DeLay-led Republicans grasp that they are not God and they do not speak for God? And that they do not speak for all people of faith or even all Christians? God is neither Republican nor Democrat, because God is not political.