The misuse of religion for personal political gain is nothing new to the American electoral process, but we’ve never seen religion misused so deliberately so early, as we have this campaign season...and it must stop. That’s why Rev. Gaddy joined me on a road trip through Iowa a few weeks ago…and we were busy!
On November 30, Rev. Gaddy spoke to a large crowd of students and community members at Coe College in Cedar Rapids about the dangers that our country faces as politics and religion become increasingly intertwined. The next day, he visited Des Moines to participate in a public forum on the same issue at Tifereth Israel Synagogue.
In his speech entitled, “But God said I could be President! Is God confused or are we?” Rev. Gaddy skillfully wove his message about the damage candidates do to religion and politics when they tout their religious credentials and use their “God talk” rather than respecting the First Amendment and focusing on the pressing issues of the nation.
“Religion is often a motivator for many candidates, which is entirely appropriate,” he said. “It is often what drives someone to be involved and to run for public office. However, religion is now being used as a strategy to win over voters, and that does great harm to both religion and politics.”
Rev. Gaddy also was invited to address the First Friday Breakfast Club (FFBC) in Des Moines. FFBC – the largest breakfast club in Iowa – is an educational, nonprofit organization for gay men and invites them to gather on the first Friday of every month to provide mutual support, to be educated on community affairs and to further educate community leaders with more positive images of the LGBT community.
Rev. Gaddy and I were also featured guests on Iowa Public Radio’s The Exchange, discussing the intermingling of religion and politics in Iowa and across the nation…and the appropriate ways in which faith can inform our politics.
While with me in Iowa, Rev. Gaddy also sat down with a few local journalists and discussed the misuse of religion this campaign season. His views were featured in a Cedar Rapids Gazette editorial and a Cedar Rapids Gazette opinion column as well as in an editorial in the Des Moines Register.
We had a very busy – but extremely successful – few days on the campaign trail…and I know that Rev. Gaddy’s message has made an impact here in Iowa.