Dems Get That Old Time Religion

Last night on CNN, the three leading Democrats for the presidential nomination, Sen. Hilary Clinton (D-New York), former senator John Edwards and current Sen. Barack Obama had a discussion on-hold on to your hats-religion.
Oh, how the Daily Kos crowd must have been quaking in their boots that Democrats would talk about God.
But don't worry, know the sponsor of the event and you will know what kind of track this went on.
It was sponsored by Sojourners/Call To Renewal, a left-wing evangelical group led by Rev. Jim Wallis. Yes, there are left-wing evangelicals. They are the type who think that liberation theology that swept the Roman Catholic church in Central America during the 1980's was good.
The "Call To Renewal" is actually to wipe out poverty, a noble and wanting goal, and a "social justice" type of group.
So, lets review the candidates and their denominational ties.
Hilary Clinton is a Methodist and one who buys into the "social justice" that many Methodist leaders promote. However, and I am sure that she was not fibbing here, she did say that a strong faith saved her marriage to former president Bill Clinton. I am sure she needed a lot of that faith.
John Edwards is a Southern Baptist. He pretty much can not really articulate what that means or anything that does not sound canned or put to a focus group. He could not really answer on whether or not gays and lesbians should be "allowed" to marry. One can make a rational case that as a Christian, no, but that there can be a civil union type of compromise. Otherwise, he showed he was really into the whole "social justice" gospel of the Rev. Wallis.
Barack Obama. Sen. Obama belongs to the most liberal denomination in American Christendom-the United Church of Christ. If there is a denomination that makes the Episcopal Church look like, well Southern Baptists, it is the UCC. Also, the church that he calls home in Chicago is led by a radical minister.
So, Sen. Edwards would be most likely to take tough stands on issues of faith, right? Well, since there were no real questions on that, one can take away that the Democrats are trying to show Middle America that they too are good, God-fearing people that God is not a Republican. By talking about it on CNN, which fights with MSNBC for the cable news cellar, they must think that the publicity will help their campaigns among conservative religious voters.
Here is the problem. I think that it is not just "social issues" or whether or not one backs same-sex marriage or not, or supports abortion on demand up to the ninth month or opposes it. One's faith can only be out there for all to see in any given situation. Any candidate on either side can only admit that they try to live up to their understanding of their faith in the best way. But, some do it better than others. And in general, Democrat voters and the front running candidates are very uncomfortable about God. They fear this "religious right" that does not exist. They fear a theocracy in the making if any Republican wins the White House. And that is the problem.
For all of his faults, former President Jimmy Carter may have been the last Democrat to be open and freely explaining his faith and putting in action.
A television show is not the way for the Democrats to get that old time religion. It is with words and actions. We shall see how that plays out.