Last night saw the latest installment of a focused discussion on religion and American politics in the presidential campaign. Senators Clinton and Obama appeared at Messiah College near Harrisburg, PA for 45 minutes each of discussing their personal faith experiences (Hillary’s favorite bible story is Megilat Esther) and how they view the moral issues of the day. It is well worth reading –
One of the many nuggets worth pointing out from our perspective – Sen. Obama’s unprompted comments on what he would do, as president, with the “faith-based initiative” begun by President Bush (which the OU has actively supported since its inception)
OBAMA: “…. people sometimes ask me, what do I think about faith-based initiatives? I want to keep the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives open, but I want to make sure that its mission is clear. It’s not to — it’s not to simply build a particular faith community, the faith-based initiatives should be targeted specifically at the issue of poverty and how to lift people up.
And partnering with faith communities, I think we can achieve that as long as it’s within the requirements of our Constitution. We make sure that it’s open to everybody. It’s not simply the federal government funding certain groups to be able to evangelize.”
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