Church Coalition Takes Aim at U.S. Budget Plan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. church activists rallied on Capitol Hill on Monday to protest the proposed 2006 federal budget, which they contend provides too little funding for children and the poor.

"It's quite troubling," said Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA, speaking of the Bush administration's budget request. "There's not enough money for public education, health care and children."

Noting broader "moral issues" besides the debate over abortion and same-sex marriage, the church coalition pushed for more federal attention for such issues as debt relief for poor countries, tsunami aid, AIDS prevention and global warming.

"The religious right has been focused on moving the country to the right," Edgar said in a telephone interview after the protest. "We're focusing on moving the country in a new direction."

The church group -- which represents some 45 million congregants at 100,000 Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox Christian churches in the United States -- helped organize a four-day meeting that concluded Monday with a midday rally and hundreds of visits to members of Congress............

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=7897889

...over $505 billion for the pentagon! :wtf:

But plenty for rich agricultural corporations.

That's conservative "compassion" for you.

actually.At least not all christians want to be lumped together with the zealots.We need alot more churchs to speak up!

And how many of those 45m voted for Bush? I know what I think..

.. and as I am fond of saying:

YOU GET WHAT YOU VOTE FOR!!!

Sue

and right now we need all the help we can get.

Surely you're not among those who've been convinced that "devout Christian" equals "Republican," are you?

Give tax cuts to the most wealthy and service cuts to the most needy?

They're a political organization, not religious one. They just appropriated the language of Christianity as a way to control the masses. Fortunatley, I think many of the masses are waking up to the fact that actions speak louder than words, and the actions of the GOP are diametrically opposed to Christ's teachings. Hell, I've even heard that the Christian Coalition is losing members these days. We can only hope!

eom

media whores had better pay some attention. I am sick to death of false prophets like Pat Robertson talking about 'people of faith' as though he represents them/us all and that a single viewpoint (his) is shared by anyone who is Christian.
Time for morality Vs moralism. No more 21st Century pharisees!

Speaking of Robertson; that guy gave me the creeps the first time I saw his face on TV; had the same effect on my young daughter at the time too. I look into that face with his ridiculous gratuitous chuckling and see Darkness.

elf, and that deprecating little chuckle as though anyone who dares question him is just...well...heh heh...not quite up to par.

the plate and take this unholy, deceitful administration on for all it is worth.

I nominated it for "greatest," it deserves more attention from DU than it's got so far.

Note for those keeping political score: the combined membership of the churches represented by this group, 45 million, is equivalent to the numbers claimed by those calling themselves "Evangelical Christians" (~25% of the population).

Do NOT give up on these good people. They're on our side.

senators (2)....start with "I am a CHRISTIAN Voter"....and ends with a quote from the Bible....

THAT will scare the crap out of these hypocritical money-grabbers....as the REAL Christians start to STAND UP and demand to be heard, with OUR concerns shown consideration in Congress....