Good morning. I am Rabbi Emanuel Rose of Temple Beth Israel.

The formation of the Oregon Interfaith Alliance should come as welcome news to all the citizens of our state, especially mainstream people of faith who so often watch helplessly as their most cherished religious symbols are crassly manipulated for partisan political gain. Within the state of Oregon, and all across the nation, groups have emerged which arrogantly claim that they represent the religious voice of this country in regard to certain very divisive political and social issues. A leader of one of these groups in the state of Oregon has even claimed that efforts to legalize discrimination are part of his organization's mission because he and his supporters "fight for God's moral values and principles."

Such claims no longer take us by surprise. Many right-wing organizations are guilty of repeatedly fostering divisiveness and bigotry, as well as pursuing their own political power--all under the guise of "traditional values" and religious certainties. Obviously, we must defend the right of every group to express its views; however, we must also sharply criticize those who engage in tactics of division and deceit--especially those who have the arrogance to imply that their political views are the ones endorsed by God.

This is neither a Republican nor a Democratic issue. As citizens, we are all alarmed by the present political climate in our state and in the nation. Our alarm is heightened by organizations which, under the banner of religion, engage in mudslinging and the vilest of "slash and burn" politics.

Despite expressed concerns about "the coarseness of the culture," avowedly "pro-values" organizations often contribute to this coarseness by their own political behavior. For example, the leader of one such statewide organization has urged his supporters to engage in "hard-ball politics" which include "head-to head uncompromising opposition with compromise only on our terms." In Orwellian fashion, he terms this approach "positive confrontation." The leader of an allied organization, a local chapter of a national organization which claims to support "family values," put the matter even more bluntly. When asked about the the divisive potential of his organization's tactics and agenda, he responded, "That's what politics is all about. It is a bogus argument that politics is about bringing people together. It never was and never is." Small wonder, then, that the culture is so coarse!

This brand of politics, and the values that undergird it, constantly undermine the important dialogue that must take place in a society as diverse as ours. As members of The Oregon Interfaith Alliance, we believe that most Oregonians share our concerns about the growing lack of civility, and that they also have a genuine desire to understand better the important issues facing our state and our nation. The citizens of Oregon, like most Americans, are fed up with the current state of political campaigns and deeply worried about the cynicism that is spreading among our voters and infecting the views and values of our youth.

When impacting public life, religion should serve as a constructive force, encouraging intelligent discussion of the issues, and elevating our political discourse to respectable levels of civility. As a faith-based organization dedicated to the positive role of religion in American life, The Interfaith Alliance takes as its mission the restoration of civic life in our state and in our nation. While others practice "hard ball politics" in the name of religion, we will go about the more difficult task of reconciling and healing and promoting the common good. That, after all, is the true application of religious principles to public life.

Those who spread discord, champion discrimination, and practice deceit have for too long been allowed to do so in the name of religion. But no more. People of faith are now coming together to reclaim their cherished religious symbols and to restore to public life a proper sense of honesty, fairness, and mutual respect.

I, for one, am proud to be a part of this noble effort. The Interfaith Alliance is long overdue in Oregon, but we are now prepared to make an immediate impact.