Candidates advised to avoid religious mudslinging - Nation - Brief Article

National Catholic Reporter, Oct 4, 2002 by Gill Donovan

A leading interfaith group has released guidelines for political candidates, advising them not to cooperate with controversial voter guides or engage in religious mudslinging. The Interfaith Alliance, founded in 1994 to counter the growing influence of the religious right, said candidates "have the right and responsibility" to talk about their personal faith but should not exploit it in a search for votes.

"Don't allow political policy stances to define religious conviction," says the Election-Year Guide for Political Candidates, which was distributed to more than 900 congressional candidates.

The book was drafted with input from a bipartisan group of politicians and religious leaders, including Jesuit Fr. Robert Drinan, a former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts, and 1980 independent presidential candidate John Anderson.

"If your religion is made the object of an attack, respond with directness and candor," the guide advises. "A lack of response risks validation of the insinuation or insult aimed at you and your faith."

The Interfaith Alliance has long opposed voter guides produced by groups like the Christian Coalition. A separate guide for congregations advises against their use or distribution. The candidates' guide calls them "no more than partisan political instruments' that use churches "in a manner that is as manipulative as it is biased."