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December 10, 2004/Kislev 27 5765, Vol. 57, No.15
Have a little faith
BARRY KLUGER
Special to Jewish News
"Hey! We want our God back!" That should have been the rallying cry in the recent presidential elections. In 2004, the faithful were the reds and all the rest were the blues - but that is not the way life is. At least in this household, which has voted all parties over the years, based on the person seeking office, not necessarily the party line.
Democrats, and mainly liberals, have gone so far to ensure that politics and religion don't mix, that the Republicans hijacked faith. No, I don't believe the election was hijacked, and the whining is driving me nuts, but it came across that if I supported Democrats, I must be against God. And that is where the Kerry camp failed: If you have strong moral, spiritual and religious beliefs, you can emerge as a strong candidate, because morality and family values are not trademarks of the Republican party.
The world is not black and white. There are shades of gray. For instance, I don't think there should be religion in our public schools, but after a moment of reflection, keeping God in the Pledge of Allegiance is fine by me. OK, it may be a slippery slope to some, but the word God means many things to many people. I have said it many times in relation to personal prayer and prayer in school and it means belief to me, not a right-wing crusade.
Joseph Lieberman was a great candidate. I'm not sure the country was ready to elect a Jewish president, but he put his faith out there as nothing to hide behind. He used it as a moral compass to indicate that issues like war, poverty and injustice were to be deliberated on using a combination of personal values and political acumen.
Those polled said moral values were key indicators of their vote, yet the Democrats chose to take it off the table. When they did put it back, it was a mishmash of explanation, innuendo and nuance, and they never committed to be God-loving individuals. They believed that the Ten Commandments had no place anywhere. The truth is that there is a time and place for everything; we live in a Crayola world of burnt sienna, sea green and raw umber, not absolutes.
I talk to God. I'm not hearing voices in my head and I'm not always sure He hears me, but He has a place in my life. And if I ever have the crazy notion that I want to run for public office, I won't hide my faith. I won't use it to advance my agenda and I won't use it to alienate people. But I certainly won't allow it to be co-opted by others who thinks faith is a God-given right only for their faith.
A platform of morality is not a Republican or Democrat thing. It's there for all of us to run on.
Barry Kluger is managing partner of Kluger Media Group and a local columnist. Contact him at barry@barrykluger.com.
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