Religion

The real "war on religion" is the one waged against the most vulnerable and the values of the people who serve them.
Here's what a real "war on religion" looks like: politicians and pundits pandering to the faithful while directly undermining their values and priorities.
As President, Obama has lifted up and defended the important role of faith in American public life, provided billions for faith-based organizations to serve those in need, and defended the National Day of Prayer in court.

The Romney-Ryan budget would take from "the least of these" -- hungry children, sick young mothers, and struggling families -- so the richest few can get more tax giveaways. That's a plan to punish the most vulnerable, not protect them.
That may be an ideological agenda that suits the Tea Party and the atheist philosophy of Ayn Rand, but it undermines the values and priorities of every major religious group in America.

Using religion only for political gain is an abuse of religion, and politicians who embrace religion only when convenient don't understand religion.

President Obama confesses Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
We can disagree about the role of faith in politics, but Christians shouldn't bear false witness against other Christians, especially about their faith.
We should be coming together as Americans, not letting politicians and pundits use religion to drive a wedge between us -- that's an abuse of religion and threatens what makes our country great.

If this was true, why would Catholic Hospitals and universities and a wide range of Catholic, evangelical and mainline religious leaders support the President's policy?
President Obama listened to both sides and found a solution that works. No religious organization will be required to pay for, refer for, or even have any involvement in covering contraception for the women they hire.

If the President's political opponents really cared about faith, they'd listen to the religious institutions they claim to be concerned about, like Catholic Hospitals, that support the policy solution.
Washington Republicans are actually proposing that any corporation should be able to deny any health service -- whether birth control, cancer tests, or any other care -- to anyone who works for them.
That's an ideological agenda that undermines the values and priorities of every major religious group in America that has fought for decades to expand access to health care.

Obama's popular solution is backed by the majority of Catholics and the Catholic institutions that are actually affected by the rule, including Catholic Hospitals -- which represents the largest group of nonprofit health care providers in the country.
Given that nearly 99 percent of women have relied on contraception in their lives and religious institutions are happy with Obama's compromise, is it any surprise that it would be so popular?
We can respect both religious liberty and women's health or start letting corporations prevent parents from deciding when and how many kids to have. There's no doubt what most Americans would choose.

American Muslims are our doctors, our firefighters, and our teachers. They were also among the NYC firefighters who risked their lives on 9/11 pulling their fellow Americans from smoke-filled stairwells.
Our top military commanders like Gen. Petraeus and law enforcement agree -- if we see American Muslims as our enemies, we feed right into the terrorists' propaganda
Using religion to drive a wedge between people is an abuse of religion and threatens what makes our country great.

Here in America, Americans follow American laws made by Americans, and that's not going to change.
We need leaders who protect us from violent extremists -- not politicians who use religion to drive a wedge between us.

American Muslim leaders are among the most strongly outspoken against violent extremism.
More than a third of Al Qaeda plots against America since 9/11 have been foiled because of help from American Muslims. And let's not forget that it was a Muslim street vendor who helped stop the bombing attempt in Times Square.
American Muslims are our neighbors, our doctors, and our teachers. We shouldn't allow politicians to use religion to drive a wedge between us.

As we remember 9/11, we should be coming together as Americans, instead of letting politicians divide us using fear and prejudice for political gain.
We should be going after terrorists, not Americans just because of how and where they pray.
Our top military commanders like Gen. Petraeus and law enforcement agree -- if we treat American Muslims as our enemies, we feed right into the terrorists' propaganda.