The
Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the
Southern Baptist Convention has published a party platform comparison guide to help voters with their research into candidates for the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The quadrennial Party Platform Comparison Guide, which covers a wide range of issues, pulls selected excerpts from both the
Democratic and
Republican party platforms on such issues as civil rights, human trafficking, illegal immigration, judicial appointments and stem cell research, among others.
The guides are available for download online at
www.iVoteValues.com. Full-color print copies can be ordered as well.
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posted by: Site Administrator on October 10th, 2008
The
Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the
Southern Baptist Convention is pushing for the
U.S. Senate to pass legislation to authorize the
Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco as a drug. Companion legislation passed the
U.S. House of Representatives in July.
Here's the story from
Baptist Press:
WASHINGTON (BP)--Stressing concern for the health of American families, the head of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission Sept. 8 appealed to the U.S. Senate to pass key tobacco legislation.
"This year approximately 400,000 Americans will die from tobacco-related diseases," said ERLC Richard Land in a letter to six senators. "Studies show that children are three times more likely than adults to be influenced by tobacco marketing and children in America are becoming addicted to tobacco at the alarming rate of 1,000 per day."
The ERLC and members of Faith United Against Tobacco, a coalition of religious groups that promotes increased government regulation of tobacco products, believe passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act will prevent thousands of Americans from succumbing to illness and death caused by tobacco addiction.
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a companion bill July 30 to authorize the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the production, marketing and sale of tobacco products, Land said. He hopes the Senate will pass the legislation by a strong majority.
Click here to read teh full story.
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posted by: Site Administrator on October 3rd, 2008
A new
LifeWay Reseach study says Americans are wary of churches getting involved in election politics. The survey said most Americans believe that churches should stay far away from actually endorsing or campaigning for candidates and that pastors should make sure they don't make any personal endorsements in a way that would imply that it is coming from the church as a whole.
Here's the story from
Baptist Press:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--
As a hotly contested presidential election approaches, Americans strongly believe churches should tread lightly when it comes to political activity.
According to a survey released by LifeWay Research, Americans believe churches should not campaign for or endorse political candidates and pastors should only endorse candidates as private citizens outside of a church service.
The telephone survey, conducted in June 2008, considered the views of more than 1,200 adults randomly selected throughout the country.
"There is a longstanding and publicly affirmed view that the pulpit is not the place for politics, particularly endorsements," said
Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research. "It would appear this view is still widely held in most sectors of society."
Click here to read the full story.
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posted by: Site Administrator on October 2nd, 2008
The
Kentucky Ethics League is warning about stealth tactics being used to get local option elections set up for the approval of alcohol sales in currently dry areas of the state. According to Don Cole, executive director, alcohol proponents attempt to quietly gather enough signatures to qualify the issue for the ballot without ever going public about the effort. The idea is apparently to fly under the radar to get the issue on the ballot before any opposition can arise.
"These petitions are being certified and a ballot is filed before anyone is aware that it is happening," Cole said. "This gives people a very short time to mount opposition before the vote is taken."
The tactic has apparently worked in
Dry Ridge in
Grant County where alcohol proponents have successfully placed an alcohol bill on the ballot for the upcoming election day.
Cole recommends that concerned citizens remain vigilant and regularly check the filings in their local clerk of court's office.
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posted by: Site Administrator on October 1st, 2008
A measure designed to help reduce the number of abotions of children with disabilities by providing expectant mothers with more information and options has been sent to President Bush for his signature. The bill received bi-partisan from both Republicans and Democrats.
Here's the story from
Baptist Press:
WASHINGTON (BP)--A bill to protect the lives of unborn children diagnosed with disabilities has passed both chambers of Congress and is awaiting President Bush's signature.
The Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act, sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback, R.-Kan., and Sen. Ted Kennedy, D.-Mass., would provide support and balanced information to parents who receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome or any other condition prenatally or until a year after birth.
"One of the most difficult and vulnerable moments in the life of an expectant mother is when she learns she is going to have a child with a disability or medical condition," Brownback wrote in an opinion piece carried by National Review Online Sept. 30.
"Access to the best support and information about the condition can make all the difference to a woman and her family. Hopefully, our bill is the start of something new: real help for families, deepened respect for the value of every life -- especially those with disabilities -- and one step closer to the kind of America we all know is possible," Brownback wrote.
The Senate passed the bill Sept. 23, and the House passed it two days later in what Brownback said was "a great victory for expecting parents who learn that their unborn child may be born with a disability."
The bill requires parents who receive a diagnosis of an impairment for their child be provided with the latest information on the condition and be informed of support services available. It also would establish a registry of families willing to adopt special needs children.
Studies indicate that in the United States, between 80 and 90 percent of children diagnosed in the womb with Down syndrome are aborted. A similar abortion percentage exists for unborn babies diagnosed with spina bifida, cystic fibrosis and dwarfism, according to a release from Brownback's office.
Click here to read the full story.
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posted by: Site Administrator on September 30th, 2008