E-mail campaign appeal to religious groups decried

By Carol Eisenberg
Newsday

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The solicitation, brought to light in an e-mail sent Tuesday from Bush headquarters in Pennsylvania, immediately was decried by liberal groups as "an astonishing abuse of religion" that could cost cooperative churches their tax-exempt status.

But it also underscored the pivotal role religion is expected to play in this year's presidential race, with Republicans intent on motivating voters concerned about such issues as gay marriage, abortion and school vouchers.

The e-mail from the Bush campaign's Pennsylvania office said it was seeking to "identify 1600 'Friendly Congregations' in Pennsylvania where voters friendly to President Bush might gather on a regular basis." Recipients were asked if they would serve as "a coordinator in your place of worship."

"To accept the invitation of this e-mail is to open a door that leads rather rapidly into many different kinds of illegal cooperation between a religious organization and a partisan political campaign," said the Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, president of The Interfaith Alliance, a liberal group that represents more than 75 faith traditions. "Whether or not this is legal, this is an astonishing abuse of religion. It is the rawest form of manipulation of religion for partisan gain."

Religious organizations are prohibited from direct partisan involvement or distributing statements on behalf of any candidate, but are permitted to register voters and engage in educational efforts.

A spokesman for the Bush campaign headquarters in Virginia denied that the e-mail jeopardized groups' nonprofit status or violated the constitutional separation between church and state.

"People of faith have as much a right to participate in the political process as any other community," spokesman Kevin Madden said. "The intent of this e-mail was to seek individual volunteers who are supportive of this president, and to continue building a grass-roots network throughout the country."

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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