From The Associated Press, 10/26/05:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-danforth-clinton-school,0,4849091..story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines
Danforth Criticizes Christian Sway in GOP
By DANIEL CONNOLLY
Associated Press Writer
LITTLE ROCK --
The influence of evangelical Christians in the Republican Party hurts
the organization and divides the country, former U.S. Sen. John
Danforth said during a visit to the Bill Clinton School of Public
Service on Wednesday.
Danforth, a former Republican senator from Missouri and an Episcopal
priest, met with students during a seminar and held a luncheon talk at
the graduate school.
"I think that the Republican Party fairly recently has been taken over
by the Christian conservatives, by the Christian right," he said in an
interview after his talks.
"I don't think that this is a permanent condition but I think this has
happened, and that it's divisive for the country."
He also said the evangelical Christian influence would be bad for the
party in the long run.
Republican National Committee spokeswoman Tracy Schmitt declined
comment.
Danforth, who recently served as U.S. ambassador to the United
Nations, made similar criticism of the party in an opinion article
published by the New York Times in June.
In that article, he called for religious moderates to take part in
public life.
People of faith have an obligation to be in politics, he said.
"I think the question arises when a political party becomes identified
with one particular sectarian position and when religious people
believe that they have the one answer, that they understand God's
truth and they embody it politically," he said.
"Nothing is more dangerous than religion in politics and government
when it becomes divisive," he said.
"I'll give you examples: Iraq. Northern Ireland. Palestine."
Danforth, considered a conservative on social issues, was elected to
the U.S. Senate in 1976 and served three terms.
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