From QCTimes.com:

The invitation appeared one Sunday in Joanna Chase’s church bulletin: Come to a “faith forum” and join a conversation about the intersection of religion and politics.

Living in New Hampshire, Chase is accustomed to pitches from presidential hopefuls, especially those focusing on values-voting Republicans. But this one came from the team of a Democrat, Sen. Barack Obama.

The candidate himself wasn’t on the bill. But about 50 people showed up to talk about the war, poverty and trying to seize back the moral mantle some in the GOP claim. The night also featured an Obama video and a campaign altar call an invitation to become a “congregation contact” and rally support for the candidate.

Is it me or does it just seem to be that Democrats prefer a separation of church and state only when the church is espousing more conservative views? Democrats also seem to claim that Republicans use religion for political gain on certain issues. However, I’m wondering why no one points to Obama’s flagrant use of faith as a means to garner votes?

It’s not just Barack:

The leading Democratic contenders for the White House all have made a point of talking about religion this campaign season. They discuss their faith journeys and how their beliefs influence their policies. The campaigns of Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards all are doing outreach to religious communities.

But Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, has made religion a signature part of his campaign through his own public appearances in places where Democrats rarely venture, and a faith-based voter mobilization, topped by forums in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina that could prove key to organizing.

This always surprises me since most Democrats will spend their time telling us that we can’t impose our religious beliefs on others yet Obama makes campaign stops in church and speaks from the pulpit.

I have to ask, is it only fair to use faith to garner votes when it suits a left wing agenda? Obama is really beating this into the ground.

The liberal groups have attacked Obama:

Will it win votes? Create a backlash from Democrats angry that religion and politics are too intertwined? Obama has drawn criticism from the Rev. Welton Gaddy of the liberal Interfaith Alliance, who said the senator “has sounded precisely like George W. Bush” in recent church appearances.

That’s funny.