Editorial: Falwell shows he's divider, not uniter

John McCain created a firestorm when he said two leaders of the religious right, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, were "on the outer reaches of American politics." McCain was careful to single out just these two, acknowledging that the evangelical movement and many of its leaders are changing America for the better. Still, political analysts believed McCain's speech two weeks ago alienated many Republican voters, a principal reason why he lost the GOP's presidential nomination.

While McCain dropped out of the race last week, Falwell sees a new battle on the horizon, launching a drive to register new voters of faith. In a recent newsletter, Moral Majority's founder says he wants to "reclaim America as one nation under God." In addition, Falwell writes that "we will actively urge all registered, but apathetic, voters to also fulfill their Christian duty by voting this year." Getting more Americans registered as voters is laudable, but when did voting stop being a "civic" duty and become a "Christian" responsibility? That notion may be true in a theocracy, but it certainly doesn't have a place in a pluralistic democracy.

Maybe it was bad politics to take on Robertson and Falwell, but Americans from all political views and faiths are fortunate that McCain took this political risk. McCain aptly noted that the tactics of division are "corrupting influences on religion and politics. And those who practice them in the name of religion or in the name of the Republican Party or in the name of America, shame our faith, our party and our country." Falwell's recent comments show just how true McCain's remarks were.

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