Faith the issue as Blair courts Christians

[emad]

Guardian
Matthew Tempest, political correspondent
Monday March 14, 2005

Tony Blair is to woo evangelical Christians ahead of the general election as rival faith groups play an increasingly significant part in campaigning strategy.

The prime minister will address 200 members of the Christian Faithworks group next week in a lecture on how the church can create "a more trusting society".

The move towards targeting individual faiths as part of the run-up to the likely May polling day comes after Michael Howard, the Conservative leader, made abortion an election issue for the first time in British politics at the weekend, when he stated that he favoured reducing the time limit for terminations to 20 weeks.

The prime minister will give a lunchtime address next Tuesday to the London-based charitable group, which is largely comprised of evangelical Christians.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1437263,00.html

[emad]

1. Opus Dei: "MMR vaccine causes homosexuality":

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s1i7631

[AP]

2. US Democrats should do this too -- tie values and progressive politics.

[AP]

3. Charles Kennedy (Lib Dem) already talked to this group:

The Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy has spoken out during the first of a series of lectures for the Faithworks group. He expressed that fundamentalist groups within religion should not drive local councils into being hesitant to use faith groups. He told how he thought that churches had to work against distrust that has resulted from continued headlines regarding homosexuality and abortions.

In the USA, the role that faith groups have to play on vital topics in society has come under intense scrutiny, and many calls have been made for the groups to play a greater role within the education and public services sectors.

The Liberal Democrat leader stated, "Of course, the headlines are often about abortion, sexuality or blasphemy laws, but they are a distortion."

He continued, "What people sometimes fail to acknowledge or recognise is that the focus of most faith based organisations is more practical and more domestic. It's a matter of battling poverty, here and abroad; or seeking to give our children a decent start - keeping them away from drugs and crime; and, at the other end of the lifespan, caring for our elderly and infirm."


http://www.christiantoday.com/news/min/186.htm

[roguevalley]

4. Pandering to extremists, the last refuge of a scoundrel. I listened

to him on PBS yesterday arguing through the questions time. I don't remember his voice being so annoying with CLinton. He's filled with words, isn't he. Just brimming with words that he shovels out to defend himself and bury the opposition. I think I dislike his voice as much as Bush's. He's just a word making machine with no soul.

[AP]

5. Labelling without evidence is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

Faithworks was founded by Rev Steve Chalke in 2001 and has grown into a movement for social change. With over 11 partner organisations, 200 churches, Christian organisations and community projects, Faithworks aims to inspire Christians and every church to develop their role at the hub of their community.

http://www.christiantoday.com/news/soc/210.htm

[emad]

6. Ultimately all religion is superstitious behavior aimed at controlling

a gullible audience and fleecing its wallets of hard earned cash.

Next religious nonsense on Poodle's agenda? Reversing the UK's broadcasting laws that ban all religious radio/tv channels.

He tried it with gambling and has failed: US casinos have not been allowed to spread in the UK like they wanted.

Now presure from Condi to let in the big GodSquad sharks is showing itself.

[AP]

7. Yeah. Hatred of religions. There's a winning progressive idea.

And from the little bit I've read about the religious group mentioned in your OP above, it seems pretty interested in helping the poor and in social change.

So, unless you have something else...

[emad]

8. Religion = humbug. American Association of Atheists has interesting

views on the myriad documented links between organised religions and organised crime.

Religious mind control starts from childhood and heads straight for the wallet. In fundie faiths it heads for the jugular in the case of apostacy.

Politicans LOVE religions because it gives them a captive audience.

[AP]

9. You're wearing your phony conspiracy theorist hat right?

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s1i7243

[emad]

10. Many a truth said in jest....as internet libel lawyers have discovered

much to their cost...