Should Christians Care About Money in
Politics?
The Common Good or Private Gain?
Are some more equal than others?
Campaign finance form and Christian values
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
Should Christians Care About Money in
Politics?
If the answer is no, democracy is in deep trouble.
To safeguard religious freedom, our nation's founders wisely insisted
on a separation of church and state. What they did not have in mind was a separation
of morality and politics.
Christians should rightly be concerned when values that are the bedrock
of democracy - such as the common good and equality - are eroded by the growing influence
of money in politics.
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The common good or private
gain?
Government should
serve the common good, not private interests. It is a moral and religious issue when
a few people who make large campaign contributions get more attention, are more highly
valued and receive more benefits than ordinary citizens.
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Are some more equal than others?
"One person,
one vote." The idea that no one's involvement in the political process should
count more than others is the hallmark of democracy. This core value of equality is
undermined by big money in politics. A system that gives major donors to political
campaigns a greater voice than everyone else is hardly in keeping with Christian
teachings.
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Campaign finance reform and
Christian values
The aim of campaign finance reform is to allow public policies to be
decided on the merits and not the size of donations. Such a decision-making
framework is needed if the common good, and not private gain, is to prevail.
Opponents label any effort to regulate political campaigns an attack on free speech.
Far from an attack, campaign reform is an expression of the Christian - and
democratic - ideal of equality. It seeks to ensure that the First Amendment has
meaning to all citizens, not just major political donors.
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Wisconsin
Democracy Campaign
The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign is a
non-partisan, statewide coalition of 27 organizations and individuals that tracks money in
politics and advocates for campaign finance reform. The Social Concerns Commission
of the Wisconsin Conference - United Church of Christ supports their efforts and is part
of their coalition.
For more information, please visit the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign web
site at: www.wisdc.org
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Wisconsin
Conference UCC
4459 Gray Rd.