[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 140 (Monday, September 11, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S13307]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         THE ROLE OF RELIGIOUS GROUPS IN CONTEMPORARY POLITICS

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, yesterday morning, I had the pleasure of 
appearing on ``Face the Nation,'' an always engaging experience. One of 
the subjects we covered in our wide-ranging questions and answers was 
the role of religious groups, in particular the Christian Coalition, in 
contemporary politics.
  During the course of our discussion, I commented on the fact that the 
Republican Party welcomes the participation of people of all faiths, 
and I disagreed with those who see something ominous or irregular in 
what is sometimes called the religious right. These are, in fact, good 
people who are rightly concerned about the security of their homes, the 
safety of their children, and the future of family life in America.
  Both parties need the participation of people like that. Moral and 
ethical concerns should not be the singular property of either party. 
That is what I was trying to convey in my comments concerning religious 
Americans and the Democratic Party. I meant to express the hope that 
our fellow citizens, whose religious beliefs lead them to advocate 
school prayer, engage in home-schooling, or oppose abortion, could feel 
equally at home on either side of the political fence.
  I did not mean to imply, and I regret it if my comments suggested 
otherwise, that the Democratic Party is without religious members. That 
of course is not the case. Neither party has a monopoly on faith, 
although, judging from the results of the 1994 elections, the GOP does 
seem to have a better track record with miracles.
  I want to assure my colleagues, as well as the national television 
viewing audience of ``Face the Nation,'' that I have the greatest 
respect for the diversity of faith represented within both Republican 
and Democratic ranks. And I close with the observation that, during the 
next 2 months or so, as the Senate deals with the hardest, toughest 
issues of the day, both sides of the aisle here will need our share of 
prayers.


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