Good Lord
I was reading the latest issue of The Stranger (a Seattle alternative weekly) last night and came across the feature article Church & State, which comments on the whole holy Bush administration--nothing that hasn't been churned before. But it does mention a new site to me: The Presidential Prayer Team.

Perhaps you've heard of the Presidential Prayer Team. This is a nonprofit group that's registered 2.8 million people to "pray daily for the president." Bill McCartney, the founder of the Promise Keepers, is on the board of directors, along with such cultural figures as Christian singer Michael W. Smith, "Painter of Light" Thomas Kinkade, Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks owner Jerry Colangelo, and Ricky Skaggs. So obviously, if you're reading this essay, it's not the group for you. The Prayer Team likes to circulate an image of President Bush bowed in reverence with an illumined cross behind him. On one side of Bush, the ghost of Abraham Lincoln lowers his head while grasping Bush's shoulder. On the other, a spectral George Washington does the same. Jesus Christ, that's creepy!

Of course, Ronnie is plastered about in memoriam right now, but it also features a Presidential prayer request for last week, so that you could send him and Laura good thoughts as they travelled to Europe. (Dear Lord, I hope that W gets enough sleep so he's not so tongue tied when talking with leaders of European nations.) It's also got suggestions of other folks in the administration that you could pray for, including Rummy and Paul Wolfowitz (they sure need all the help they can get).

But religion doesn't have to be--and frankly shouldn't be--under the sole ownership of the Right. I've got several powerful examples in my own life (my Mom, the Dean of the Honolulu Episcopal cathedral; the love of my life, Parie; and Parie's Mom, Linda) who are politically active and aware on the progressive tip and very involved in the religious community. And now the Center for American Progress is trying to change theperception that a religious American is automatically a Republican with a new initiative, which was highlighted in this recent Christian Science Monitor article:

(John) Podesta, former chief of staff for President Clinton, says that Democrats who are religious feel as if they have been silenced over the past few decades, and are "enthusiastic about regaining a sense of moral authority." New core values to be emphasized include inclusion, building community, taking care of each other and being good stewards of the earth.

You can read more about the initiative here.