From: Interfaith Working Group Subject: IWG Institute on Religion and Democracy Omaha letter Date: Sun, 12 Jul 1998 23:13:26 -0400 (EDT) July 9, 1998 Omaha World-Herald World-Herald Square Omaha, NE 68102 Dear Editors: The July 5 opinion piece by Mark Tooley was accompanied by a description of the Institute on Religion and Democracy as "a conservative research group." In fact, the only thing the organization researches are leaders of the United Methodist Church, and the only thing they produce are criticisms designed to convince the members of the denomination to decrease or suspend their financial support of the denomination. While Mr. Tooley has recently latched on to the same- sex union issue as a hot topic that increases the likelihood of publication, he also reveals that his true agenda: it is not concern for church polity and theological debates over the nature of gender, sexual orientation, and marriage, but the legislative politics of women's equality, environmental protection, economic justice for minorities, military training for dictatorships, educational support for language minorities, and the safety net of welfare. There is no question that the United Methodist debate over religious marriage influences the national debate over civil marriage, even if the two issues should be considered separately. But it is extremely disturbing that an organization would intentionally exacerbate a denominational debate over one issue in order to influence the legislative debate over a laundry list of unrelated items. Sincerely, Barbara Purdom Christopher Purdom Interfaith Working Group Coordinators The above letter went out on IWG letterhead listing 15 congregations and organizations and 58 clergy from 15 religious traditions. If you are in the general Philadelphia area and represent a congregation or religious organization or are clergy, let us know if you want to be added - all faiths are welcome. We will also be happy to help start similar organizations in other areas. -- Interfaith Working Group Religious organizations, congregations iwg@libertynet.org and clergy supporting gay rights, http://www.libertynet.org/iwg/ reproductive freedom, and the 215-235-3050 separation of church and state.