Faithful Democracy is a nonpartisan, online clearinghouse made up of national, faith-based organizations that intend to educate and engage people of faith about the role they can and should play in the democratic process, thereby increasing the number of informed faith-based voters in elections.
The Faithful Democracy clearinghouse will include resources to fulfill the following:
- Educate organizations and key constituencies about what they can and cannot do during an election cycle according to up-to-date IRS guidelines and clarifications of these guidelines.
- Provide faith communities access to resources intended to engage constituents in electoral activities, and facilitate programmatic support
- Disseminate theological resources that encourage civic participation based on religious beliefs, values, and ethics.
In addition, Faithful Democracy works to ensure that new religious leaders understand the importance of legally and ethically promoting the prophetic voice in national issue discussions. In 2008 Faithful Democracy will be sponsoring Interfaith Discussions among seminarians, religious leaders, lay leaders and others in the faith community.
Quotes of Affirmation from Faith Leaders:
"This is a critical time for the voice of the church and our broader faith community to be heard. It is not a time for people of faith to keep their faith private, but rather to step boldly into the public square to encourage participation in our democratic process for the common good," said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
"Often, the local religious leaders we work with across the country are hungry for election-focused materials that come directly from the culture, religious framework, and spiritual identity of their own denominations. This is the niche that Faithful Democracy fills, a one-stop shop for people of faith wanting a greater role in civic engagement, to find out what their friends and colleagues in their own faith tradition are up to this election cycle. This is one of the reasons Faith in Public Life has been supportive of Faithful Democracy as a highly targeted complement for the broader interfaith and faith/secular organizing we are doing with the values agenda in election 2008," said Ron Stief, Director of Organizing Strategy, Faith in Public Life.
"Religious people and groups have an important role to play in our nation's government and elections. Faithful Democracy exists to educate and mobilize people of faith to participate in civic life in ways that are both appropriate and effective. The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations is an active member of Faithful Democracy because we can accomplish so much more through interfaith collaboration than we can on our own. Faithful Democracy is a powerful way for Unitarian Universalists to work with other religious groups on increasing civic participation in the United States." said Rob Keithan, Director, Washington Office for Advocacy, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
"God has called us into community. In a democracy, our vote is our voice, and it is a way that we express our concern about our neighbors in society. As Episcopalians, we believe that our faith calls us to fully participate and engage in democracy. We ask for guidance in our elections so that ‘by faithful administration and wise laws, the rights of all may be protected and our nation be enabled to fulfill God's purposes.' We ask all in our congregations to "Have Faith and Vote" so that democracy works and God's purpose is fulfilled." - The Rt. Rev. James A. Curry, Suffragan Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut
"We are calling on faith leaders to urge congregants to fulfill their civic duty and moral obligation by casting an informed ballot on [Election Day]." - The Rt. Rev. Jane Holmes Dixon, president of The Interfaith Alliance and former Suffragan Bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington
