NEWS STORY: Religious groups urge raising voices in prayer in impeachment crisis

c. 1998 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ As religious leaders on both sides of the impeachment debate called the nation to prayer, the Rev. Jesse Jackson led an anti-impeachment prayer vigil Thursday (Dec. 17) on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building.”The American people do not view Bill Clinton as a bad man. They see […]

c. 1998 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ As religious leaders on both sides of the impeachment debate called the nation to prayer, the Rev. Jesse Jackson led an anti-impeachment prayer vigil Thursday (Dec. 17) on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building.”The American people do not view Bill Clinton as a bad man. They see him as they see themselves, as flawed, as saved by grace,”said Jackson, whose comments were greeted by cheers.

Jackson’s vigil came as other religious voices, including the National Council of Churches, the Interfaith Alliance and the anti-impeachment People for the American Way, all labeled the crisis a moment fraught with spiritual significance.”Often the president has called the nation to prayer,”the National Council of Churches said in a statement.”Sadly now such presidential leadership could not avoid being misunderstood. It is appropriate therefore for religious leaders of all faiths to give voice to our nation’s need for God’s guidance.””We believe,”added the statement, issued under the name of the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, general secretary of the National Council of Churches,”the members of the House of Representatives need to be provided a context of prayer which we can create. “We believe that the awesome dimensions of this moment insist on freedom from anger, deceit, partisanship and manipulation,”it said.


Jackson, whose Rainbow/PUSH Coalition sponsored the Capitol rally, called it an extraordinary day for prayer and reflection as the nation grapples with the”possible and likely impeachment of President Clinton and the bombing of Iraq.” Billed as both a rally and a prayer vigil, the event drew about 2,000 people, many bused from other East Coast cities to lend their support for the outnumbered and impeachment-weary House Democrats.”We must pray for our president, that he might be strong in the face of his foes,”said Jackson, concluding his remarks by leading the enthusiastic crowd in chanting,”It is hope time. It is healing time,”and”Impeachment _ No; Reprimand _ Yes.” Speakers from Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., to the Rev. Al Sharpton, a New York civil rights activist, were greeted by a crowd made up largely of African-Americans, women and unionists who brandished signs proclaiming,”`Hyde’ the Judiciary Committee”and”House for Sale.” Most speakers expressed belief that the push for impeachment has been an underhanded attempt by Republicans to oust a president that they could not beat at the polls or in legitimate debate.

Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., said President Clinton is hated because he represents the rights of minorities, women and the poor. “My friends, they don’t want him, they want us!”said Serrano.

Expressing similar beliefs, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., said that the president has been targeted for supporting those previously excluded from political representation.”In 1998, they don’t have to call you `negro’ no more _ they call you `liberal,'”he said, speaking to the crowd an hour after his father’s speech.

Meanwhile, a much smaller prayer vigil organized by the Christian Defense Coalition, a Washington-based conservative social and political activist group, convened on the opposite side of the Capitol building. About 22 people gathered to sing and worship.

Matt Schenck, a 17-year-old high school senior, said he chose to participate”not to say Clinton should be impeached or shouldn’t be impeached but just to say: God’s will be done.” Other groups speaking out on impeachment Thursday included the American Jewish Congress, the Interfaith Alliance and People for the American Way. The latter group, a liberal religious and civil liberties organization, has been in the forefront of organizing opposition to impeachment.

Leaders of the American Jewish Congress called the move toward impeachment a”nullification of the popular will.””We do not defend President Clinton’s behavior,”the group said, adding,”surely, integrity and morality is incumbent upon all who hold office at the highest levels of government.” But the Jewish group called for”appropriate means of censure and rebuke”rather than impeachment.” The Interfaith Alliance, a liberal counterpart to the Christian Coalition, called on members of Congress to resist partisanship.”Special-interest lobbying and intra-party pressures create a political climate that tempts judgment to be based on self-interest rather than justice,”the Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, the group’s executive director said.”As people of faith, the American electorate recognizes such hypocrisy.”

DEA END ROCKWOOD

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