WASHINGTON — A diverse coalition of major national religious organizations on Feb. 21 issued an “Interfaith Statement of Principles,” calling on the presidential candidates and all candidates for public office this election year to help ensure decency, honesty and fair play in elections by conducting campaigns that honor our nation’s traditions of religious liberty and avoid sowing religious discord.
The statement — organized and drafted by the Anti-Defamation League, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and the Interfaith Alliance — says candidates should feel comfortable explaining their religious convictions to voters. But the statement warns against placing an overt emphasis on religion, as “there is a point when an emphasis on religion becomes inappropriate and even unsettling in a religiously diverse society such as ours.”
“Religion in Political Campaigns — An Interfaith Statement of Principles” has been endorsed by 14 national religious organizations, representing a diverse tapestry of America’s majority and minority faiths.
“This statement of principles reaffirms our commitment to freedom of religion as enshrined in the Constitution, and our message to all candidates for public office is to set a proper tone where faith may be openly discussed, but avoid overt appeals for support on the basis of religion, or the denigration of another person’s views on the basis of religion,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.
“Candidates do not have to check their religion at the door of the offices they seek. But they need to understand that they serve people of other faiths and of no faith. Resorting to religious language that sets people of faith against each other harms political discourse and sows religious discord,” said J. Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.
“Candidates are free to speak about their faith – if it’s important to them — as a way of giving voters insight on who they are, but a line is crossed when a candidate implies that they should receive your vote because of their faith. Religion is not a political football to be used by candidates for tactical advantage, instead it should be a force that brings diverse people together with mutual respect and understanding,” said the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance.
Because political candidates bear the primary responsibility for setting the proper tone for elections, the statement calls on all candidates for public office to:
• Serve and be responsive to the full range of constituents, irrespective of their religion;
• Conduct their campaigns without appeals for support based upon religion;
• Reject appeals or messages to voters that reflect religious prejudice, bias or stereotyping;
• Avoid statements, actions or conduct that are intended primarily to encourage division in the electorate along religious lines.
Other endorsing organizations include the American Islamic Congress, American Jewish Committee, Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Hindu American Foundation, Muslim Advocates, National Council of Churches USA, Sikh Coalition, The United Methodist Church — General Board of Church and Society, and United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries.
The full statement:
Religion in political campaigns — An interfaith statement of principles
Freedom of religion is one of our nation’s most cherished liberties. It is at the very foundation of America. Our nation’s Constitution protects religious freedom for all, prohibits religious tests for public office, and mandates separation of church and state. These are essential American ideals and values, which candidates for public office should respect.
Candidates for public office are, of course, free to worship as they choose. And they should feel comfortable explaining their religious convictions to voters, commenting about their own religious beliefs, explaining, if they wish to do so, how those beliefs shape their policy perspectives, and how they would balance the principles of their faith with their obligation to defend the Constitution if the two ever came into conflict.
There is a point, however, where an emphasis on religion in a political campaign becomes inappropriate and even unsettling in a religiously diverse society such as ours. Appealing to voters along religious lines is divisive. It is contrary to the American ideal of including all Americans in the political process, regardless of whether they are members of large and powerful religious groups, religious minorities, or subscribe to no faith tradition.
Voters should be encouraged to make their decisions based upon their assessment of the qualifications, integrity, and political positions of candidates. A candidate’s religious beliefs — or lack thereof — should never be used by voters, nor suggested by political candidates, as a test for public office or as a shorthand summary of a candidate’s qualifications.
Candidates for office bear the primary responsibility for setting the proper tone for elections. Anyone who legitimately aspires to public office must be prepared to set an example and to be a leader for all Americans, of all faiths or of no faith.
What is ethical is every bit as important as what is legal. Therefore candidates for public office should:
• Attempt to fulfill the promise of America by seeking to serve and be responsive to the full range of constituents, irrespective of their religion.
• Conduct their campaigns without appeals, overt or implicit, for support based upon religion.
• Reject appeals or messages to voters that reflect religious prejudice, bias, or stereotyping.
• Engage in vigorous debate on important and disputed issues, without deliberately encouraging division in the electorate along religious lines, or between voters who characterize themselves as religious and voters who do not.
Abiding by these principles, candidates for public office help ensure decency, honesty, and fair play in political campaigns, and they honor America’s oldest and most fundamental values. Likewise, voters who insist on adherence to these principles contribute to the protection of our religious freedom.
Signed: American Islamic Congress • American Jewish Committee • Anti-Defamation League • Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty • Interfaith Alliance • Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) • Hindu American Foundation • Muslim Advocates • National Council of Churches USA • Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) • Sikh Coalition • Union for Reform Judaism • The United Methodist Church — General Board of Church and Society • United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
