2006年VOA标准英语-Liberals Compete with Conservatives for Religio

By Jim Malone
Washington
31 October 2006

Republicans are depending on a strong voter turnout among conservative Christians² on November 7 as one way to limit expected Democratic gains in the midterm congressional elections.  But some liberal groups also hope to use religious appeals to mobilize voters on Election Day.

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Christian1 Coalition4 of Alabama to it's new name, Christian Action Alabama" src="/upimg/allimg/070507/1505340.jpg" width="211" border="0" /> Jane Russell unveils a sign changing the name of The Christian Coalition of Alabama to it's new name, Christian Action Alabama

Since the 1980s, Republicans have courted conservative religious voters to turn out and support their candidates in presidential and congressional elections.

In recent years, conservative Christian activists⁵ have focused their attention on opposing abortion⁶ and same-sex marriage as part of what they have long called a moral values agenda.

"We see America on this collision course between religious freedoms and the homosexual agenda. At their core, these are spiritual battles that we are engaged in and we need America's spiritual leaders to be at the forefront of this fight," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a leading conservative Christian advocacy group.

Democrats⁷ have had limited success in appealing to religious voters.  In the 2004 election, for example, President Bush's strong showing among voters who regularly attend church was a factor in his narrow win over Democrat³ John Kerry.

But now some liberal groups are crafting what they believe will be an appealing message for religious voters that could have an impact on this year's congressional elections.

The Reverend Jim Wallis is editor of Sojourners magazine and one of the founders⁸ of a group that seeks to promote liberal Christian values.

"Moral values now apply to poverty, the environment, Darfur, HIV/Aids and the war in Iraq,” said Mr. Wallis.  “The path of partisan⁹ use of religion is too well worn.  But the road of compassionate¹⁰ priorities and social justice will lead us to a new America, and that is an America that will reflect all our best values."

Experts say it may take a while for religious liberals to make inroads with church-going voters.

"After all, religious conservatives spent about 40 years figuring out how to do politics effectively, and they have really become very good at it. So, it may take a little while for progressives and liberals to reach to the same level of organization," said John Green, an expert on religion and politics at the Pew Forum¹¹ on Religion and Public Life in Washington.

While it will take a while to measure the effectiveness of liberal religious appeals, there are already signs that conservative Christian voters are disheartened this year for a variety of reasons.

One major factor that could keep religious conservatives home on Election Day is disgust over the congressional scandal involving former Republican Congressman¹² Mark Foley of Florida.

Foley resigned after news organizations reported he had sent sexually suggestive e-mail messages to male teenage pages who assist members of Congress.

Independent political analyst¹³ Stuart Rothenberg says a lot of conservative voters who focus on values issues may be turned off this year, and that could hurt Republican candidates.

"And it would not be surprising if there were a lot of Republican voters out there who think to themselves, 'Yes, I am a Republican but there is something wrong with the party, there is something wrong the leadership, and I just do not feel the intensity¹⁴ of emotion to go out and vote,’" he noted¹⁵.

Some critics of the so-called religious right argue that there has been too much emphasis placed on religion as a driving force in U.S. politics.

Former Republican Senator John Danforth, a political moderate and an ordained¹⁶ Episcopal priest, argues in a new book that some conservative Christian groups have used religion to divide Americans, making political compromise on some issues difficult.

"There are people who believe that they know God's will, that they can incorporate their beliefs into a political program, that their political program is God's program and that people who do not agree with them are enemies of the faith,” said Danforth.  “That makes the work of politics and the work of finding reasonable answers to our serious problems impossible."

The debate over the power of the religious right will likely continue well past this election.  But public opinion analysts¹⁷ say there is little doubt that religion will continue to play a role in U.S. politics for the foreseeable future.

Karlyn Bowman monitors public attitudes at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.  She noted the results of a recent poll on what types of people Americans would prefer to run for president.

"You still had 49 percent of Americans saying that they would not vote for an atheist¹⁸ for president and 48 percent saying that they would,” she said.  “Religion is a powerful factor in American public life and I think that is one indication of the role that it plays."

A poll conducted in July by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that 67 percent of those surveyed consider the United States a Christian nation.

But the poll also found that a majority of those asked believe that the impact of religion is declining, continuing a trend that began in the late 1980s.

The only exception was the period immediately after the 2001 terrorist attacks when Americans overwhelmingly felt that the influence of religion was on the rise.

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

3 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

4 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

7 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

9 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

10 compassionate   

adj.有同情心的，表示同情的

参考例句：

• She is a compassionate person.她是一个有同情心的人。
• The compassionate judge gave the young offender a light sentence.慈悲的法官从轻判处了那个年轻罪犯。

11 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

12 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

13 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

14 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

15 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

16 ordained   

v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定

参考例句：

• He was ordained in 1984. 他在一九八四年被任命为牧师。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was ordained priest. 他被任命为牧师。 来自辞典例句

17 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

18 atheist   

n.无神论者

参考例句：

• She was an atheist but now she says she's seen the light.她本来是个无神论者，可是现在她说自己的信仰改变了。
• He is admittedly an atheist.他被公认是位无神论者。