Pro Ecclesia * Pro Familia * Pro Civitate: Fidelis Dismisses Religious Left Media "Report"

Fidelis press release says "Left Wing Politics Disguised as Religion Not Taken Seriously":

WASHINGTON — Fidelis dismissed a new report released today at a press conference by the groups Media Matters for America and Faith in Public Life entitled: “Left Behind: The Skewed Representation of Religion in the Major News Media” calling it “a transparent attempt to gain relevancy with religious Americans.”

Fidelis President Joseph Cella, who attended the press conference, stated: “The report exposes a fatal flaw within their radical movement: left wing politics disguised as religion is simply not taken seriously by Americans and therefore by most credible journalists. These left wing groups simply have lost touch with religious America, and are now working overtime to become relevant again.”

The groups hosted a press conference Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. featuring Rev. Brian McClaren of the “emerging church,” Rev. Dr. Jim Forbes, host of “The Time is Now” on Air America, Rabbi David Sapperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, National Council on Churches, Alexia Kelly, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and Dr. Iva E. Carruthers of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference.

“The members on today’s panel constitute the ‘Who’s Who’ of the Religious Left, and have lost touch even with the mainstream beliefs and practices of religious Americans, particularly on matters concerning the sanctity of all human life and traditional marriage,” Cella said.

Cella cited the following examples:

McClaren refers to God as a “chick” and questions God’s sovereignty over and knowledge of the future.
Forbes authored an article entitled The Moral Urgency of Electing John Kerry.
Sapperstein is a board member of People for the American Way, a close ally of Planned Parenthood, and filed a legal brief with the Supreme Court in opposition to the federal ban on partial birth abortion.
Edgar is a former pro-abortion Democratic Congressman from Pennsylvania.
Alexia Kelly, is the former Director of Religious Outreach for the Democratic National Committee, spearheaded the website www.kerrysharesourvalues.org, and was “Religion Advisor” to John Kerry’s presidential campaign in 2004.

”Socially conservative religious populations in America today are flourishing, while liberal religious movements are fracturing. This fact makes it extremely difficult to put a religious face on a left wing political agenda,” Cella said.

Cella added: “Until they come to grips with the reality of religious faith in America, these Left wing religious groups will remain marginalized.”