faithforward has had enough, and so have I

I'm a big fan of Pastor Dan's Faithforward blog. Here's some of his posting today:

I don't know about you, but I've had enough. It's time Dr. Frist, Tom DeLay, James Dobson, the Family Research Council, and anyone else who would make adherence to political goals a literal article of faith heard from another side of the country. To that end, and for the time being, I am suspending the regular business of this blog and giving it over to a single project.

It is time for us to state, simply and directly, that we can affirm faith while disagreeing with the Republican legislative agenda. By "we," I mean anyone who can get under that statement. You don't have to be religious yourself. You don't even have to be a Democrat. You just have to be willing to say that you are willing to affirm faith, but you don't believe that it should be used as a weapon in a partisan campaign to increase the political power of a single party in the American commonwealth.

What if you really do hate faith? Well then, frankly, you can fuck off. I know there are some who will say those words are far too strong. I don't agree. I'm happy to speak up for the rights of non-believers, but I have no time for hatred, from the left or the right, from the religious or the a-religious, and I'll catch you another time.

In any case, perhaps by the time this video comes out on the 25th, we'll have quite a few testimonials to let Frist and DeLay and their friends know that the radical right wing isn't the only branch of faith in this country. (I'll also work on a link to contact your Senators to let them know where you stand.)

It's a work in progress. Here's some general guidelines, and my own statement.

• Give as much of the following information as you feel comfortable sharing: your name, your hometown, and whatever religious affiliation you may have. Include a picture of yourself if you're brave enough.

• State, in the simplest possible terms, that you affirm faith, but you disagree with the Republican agenda to impose the nuclear option and appoint radical right judges. Tell them why.

• Conclude with a positive statement of your vision of what this nation could become, minus the fear, selfishness, arrogance, and general recklessness we have experienced in the past four years.

• In your statements above, try to avoid profanity if at all possible. This is for public consumption.

Isn't that easy?

You can do it.