Religious Left

This past Sunday, Senator Barack Obama attended a traditionally evangelical church in the traditionally conservative Greenville, South Carolina. During the service, Senator Obama told the congregation that he wished to be "an instrument for God" just like they were and that he knew that they could build a "Kingdom right here on Earth." Following the service, Obama pointed out to reporters that the time of the Republicans owning faith and values were over. He said that this was no longer the nineties when Democrats were afraid to talk about faith and Republicans promoted a specific type of faith that pushed people away. He went on to praise several recognized, evangelical ministers for their work with social issues such as AIDS and poverty, items that have not really been addressed in the evangelical community in the past. I appreciate Sen. Obama addressing this sentiment. I think it is past time that people realize that you don't have to be a Republican or a Democrat to believe in God or be a virtuous person. I'm extremely tired of, upon learning that I do go to church, people assuming that my political views lie on the right side of the spectrum. This is the type of stereotype that greatly hinders the political system. With such notorious Congressmen such as Larry Craig and Mark Foley on the Right, I'm not sure how people can continue to assume that Republicans have the hold on all that is good and pure. Maybe in years to come people will begin to see that your political stance does little or nothing to determine whether or not you have strong religious views or moral values.