Political Left, meet Spiritual Left

We all know who is being referred to when we say the Religious Right, and most people know that the Religious Right and the Political Right are intimately connected. Here in Georgia, Ralph Reed, former head of the Christian Coalition, is now the Head of the state Republican Party and soon may run for Lt Governor. Indeed, in many cases, those described as Religious Right and Political Right are the same people.

If I speak of the Political Left, most assume a group that contains the progressive, liberal end of the political spectrum going out as far as socialists and communists.

But if I say, Spiritual Left, to whom am I referring? And what is the connection between the Spiritual Left and the Political Left?

The results of the most recent presidential election has made it clear that the Religious Right is a major player in American politics. The Republican Party rode a wave of bible blasting anti-gay and Armageddon-type rhetoric to victory. By some counts more than 6,000,000 more Fundamentalist Christians turned out to vote Republican in ‘04 than in 2000. This is a group that cannot be ignored.

To offset the more than twenty million voting fundamentalists, the Political Left is going to need an ally. That is where the Spiritual Left can help.

Who are the Spiritual Left?

It is not easy to categorize the diverse members of the Spiritual Left. The Religious Right and the Political Right, by contrast, are much more homogeneous (that doesn’t mean they are nice to gays). Somehow the lockstep of the Political Right is perfectly mirrored by the narrow-mindedness of the Religious Right. The net result is a flock of followers of little diversity.

The Spiritual Left is more like the Political Left and includes people from all walks of life, colors, sexual orientations, etc. First, there are the Christian faiths that do not hold to the fundamentalist views. In Atlanta, many of the Black churches are more open-minded. The churches with large gay memberships are more liberal as are groups like the Quakers and the Unitarian Universalists. There are members of Eastern faiths like Buddhists, and Hindus. There are members of the Islamic faith who see themselves under attack by our present administration. And there are the New Thought and New Age spiritual groups that include Religious Science, Unity Churches and many other ancient (i.e. Wiccan) and "modern" (i.e. Eckankar) religions.

The vast majority of all these spiritual people hold many of the same core values as political liberals; peace, saving the ecology, human rights, helping the poor and elderly, etc. However, unlike the Religious Right, the Spiritual Left has not been politically active.

Until now!

Just as the Political Left has taken notice of the fact that the Political Right is imposing a Fundamentalist Christian agenda on America, the Spiritual Left has taken notice too. By bringing religion into politics, the Religious Right has caused a groundswell. The members of many spiritual groups do not like the idea that Fundamentalist Christianity is gaining power in America. The Spiritual Left feels that spirituality, in general, and the teachings of Jesus, in particular, are not owned by the Republican Party. In fact, many of the other faiths who honestly hold a respect for the teachings of Jesus, don’t understand how the Fundamentalist Christians feel that their views are Jesus-like at all.

In addition, issues like school vouchers and faith based charity initiatives are seen by the Spiritual Left as a threat to the separation of church and state. The fear of course is that these benefits will be heavily guided towards Fundamentalist Christian groups encouraging the growth of its philosophy. At this point, the groundswell is just beginning. I have heard the idea that "we have to take back Jesus" being echoed throughout the non-fundamentalist spiritual world. What is necessary now is for the Spiritual Left to organize as a counter-balance to the Religious Right. Unfortunately, just as with political liberals, organizing the Spiritual Left, is not as easy as gathering the herd of Fundamentalist Christians. I think a just comparison is herding sheep vs. herding cats. Every cat has its own idea.

However, there is another movement afoot that may hasten the process. I believe that there are millions of followers among the Religious Right that are unhappy with the spirituality they are following. In their hearts, they know that there is something wrong with a church that honors Jesus and yet seems to preach war, favors the rich, and bashes the weak and needy.

Also, many of the literal Biblical beliefs just aren’t sitting well with some. Although the bible seems to imply that being gay is an abomination, other abominations include, adulterers, women wearing pants, and boisterous children. The teachings don’t hold up well in the modern world and some Fundamentalists are noticing. I have friends who are now within the Spiritual Left who consider themselves "Recovering Christians". In addition, the Church’s recent scandals and cover-ups leave no one to blame for their loss of spiritual credibility but themselves. Also, the Church’s positions on sex-education and birth control have put many Christian youth at odds with the teachings. I mean, how you gonna keep’em stuck in the pews after they’ve seen MTV?

As the planet intermingles, even within the Bible belt, the idea that the Christian Bible is the only truly spiritual document, and that its acceptance is the only way to get into heaven, seems almost silly. In a world with billions of devout Buddhist, Hindus, and Moslems, can everyone else be wasting their time? I think there are Christian Fundamentalists who have gained enough exposure to people of different beliefs and have come to feel that maybe their religion doesn’t own god. In group-think situations, as you have with Fundamentalists, a small crack can begin to unravel the whole system. First it’s a condom and then what’s next, a gay friend?

I have great hope that the present power structure, the neo-conservatives, will not fall from the top down but will unravel from the bottom. The rise of a spiritual left, an organized group to off-set the Religious Right, will soon makes itself known and rapidly become a force in American politics. The Political Left can help this process along by offering a home for the Spiritual Left.

Mother Teresa was once asked if she ever attended an anti-war rally (back in the 60’s). She replied, "Oh no, I’ve never been to one, but if you throw a peace rally, I would come." Do you see the difference?

In order to draw the Spiritual Left into politics, the Political left is going to have to take and hold the moral high ground. Just because the Right has Rush Limbaugh, doesn’t mean the Political Left has to get vicious as well. And "anti" activism won’t cut it. Being against everything the Republicans do might seem politically correct, but it is viewed spiritually as "negativity". Don’t get me wrong. There are many in the Spiritual Left who appreciate those efforts enormously. However, to appeal to the Spiritual Left, the Political Left should try to stand for positive life affirming principals. What does a world at peace look like and how do we get there? What does it look like when a society takes good care of its less fortunate members? Believe in healthcare for all, and a foreign policy based on truth and concern for the planet. If the Political Left will put out a vision of a positive future, the spiritual left could be hooked.

Political Left, please say hello to the Spiritual Left.

Robert Soloway is a member of Georgia for Democracy and freelance writer in Atlanta.