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 A new report finds that religious groups engaged in lobbying or advocacy around Washington employ at least 1,000 people.
November 22nd, 2011
12:29 PM ET
Report tracks explosion of religious lobbying in WashingtonBy Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor (CNN) - Lobbying and advocacy by religious groups in Washington have exploded in recent decades, increasing fivefold since 1970 to become a nearly $400 million industry, a new Pew report finds. More than 200 groups are doing faith-related lobbying and advocacy in the nation’s capital, compared to fewer than 40 in 1970, according to the report. Put together, the groups employ at least 1,000 people. The report, released Monday by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life, found that religious groups spend $390 million a year to influence U.S. domestic and foreign policy. “About one-in-five religious advocacy organizations in Washington have a Roman Catholic perspective (19%) and a similar proportion is evangelical Protestant in outlook (18%), while 12% are Jewish and 8% are mainline Protestant,” according to the report, called "Lobbying for the Faithful: Religious Advocacy Groups in Washington, D.C." “But many smaller U.S. religious groups, including Baha’is, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, also have established advocacy organizations in the Washington area,” the report said. The number of Muslim groups engaged in lobbying and advocacy in Washington (17) is about the same as the number of mainline Protestant groups engaged in such work (16). The report said that the most common domestic issues for religious groups are: - The relationship between church and state; - Civil rights and liberties for religious and other minorities; - Bioethics and life issues, including abortion, capital punishment and end-of-life issues; - Family/marriage issues, including definition of marriage, domestic violence and fatherhood initiatives. The top international issues for religious groups are religious freedom, human rights, debt relief and other economic issues, and the promotion of peace and democracy, the report found. |
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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If the religions of the world want political influence to change the laws, they should no longer be exempt from being taxed and should have to register as a lobby with complete disclosure rules. Freedom "of" religion means I can believe anything I want it doesn't meant I have to believe anything some religion wants. Keep your fairy tales out of my life, my body and my money.
Amen to that.
So if I am religious, I dont have the right to influence the laws I believe in? Arent you a hypocrite? As much you have the right to live the way you want, so should I.
Mat, English must be your 2nd language. He is saying that your Corporation of Christ, which is it's current legal status, needs to start paying taxes like the rest of us.
If they can afford lobbyists, they can afford taxes. Remove the tax exempt status.
Our government should have never been put up for sale, ever!
This corrupt practice began during the administration of Ulysses S. Grant and has become increasingly worse.
What nation can stand, when their leaders sell themselves to the highest bidders?
Quite so. You just summed it up nicely and I wholeheartedly agree.
Very interesting in light of the fact that the relevance of church in Americans lives is on the downward trend.
That is why they're spending almost 400 million for lobbying – they are afraid of losing control over people's lives. Religion was created as a control of the masses. Most of us evolved and no longer fall for the lies.
Exactly. For so many centuries, the churches have had some form of control and the concept of losing that scares the he11 out of them.
I am a Christian, but do not attend any particular church. Faith is a very important part of my life. However, we are supposed to have separation of church and state. If the churches are now sending lobbyists to Washington, then I agree with other posters who suggested taxing the churches. If the churches want to get in the government's business, then the government should be able to "return the favor' and get involved in the church's business through taxation.
Thank you. It's nice to hear from open-minded individuals of religion.
Also, if your alias is accurate, rock on! There aren't enough women in the programming field.
its time for genocide of the human race so there will be no religion no H8TERS no merry man and no clowns lol 🙂 🙂 🙂
i disagree with earl i dont like his reason
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 funny people this better than tbs on a tuesday
"lol"? Why are you laughing, earl? You aren't funny. Please, no more smileys.
Earl just gave a great argument for why Christians are more dangerous than any terrorist.
How can anyone claim not to know 90%. If the deep stick hasn't reach the bottom how can you tell there's 90% more to go. Is this the secular version of faith?
GET RID OF ALL LOBBYISTS !! START WITH RELIGION & BANKING !! PROBLEM SOLVED !!!!!!!!
i agree with the huntsman and his merry men
Faith is the enemy of reason.
Whose reason? Your reason might be unreasonable to me -:)
go smoke less than write back to us???
Zombie Jew never pays his taxes.
I agree with HINP. Faith is the belief in something with absolutely no proof. That is the exact opposite of reason, in which you look for evidence to support your belief. Therefore, his/her statement is accurate.
It's time to face the truth and tax churches.
Tax the churches.
If it helps the country go ahead. As a christian I have no issues.
Start with those found to have been involved in political activity – including lobbying.
God help us if our government listens to these people.
God didn't listen – they already are almost half of our government – republican rightwing family values party! And yes, it's very scary the crap and hypocritical garbage they spew.
I don't see how this is legal....
Plus there's the problem of religious hokus-pokus getting in the way of real decision-making. If I wanted my important decisions to be made by people who believed in fairy tales I would have voted a 5 year old into office.
given the recent super committee performance you're really going to blame religious lobbyist for congress inability to make decisions? Its not the lobbyist it the worthless politicians that cause the problem in DC
Oh, I was just saying in general... The recent super committee thing was just all partisan crap.... Which is also a big problem.
Sorry if anyone misunderstood.
THE NOW ILL-FATED MAY21,2011 END OF THE WORLD GUY ,BASED HIS CALCULATIONS ON THE 6 THOUSAND YEARS OF THE SO CALLED EARTH EXISTANCE, MANY LEFT JOBS, CAREERS, FAMILY, PROPERTY AND MONEY TO FOLLOW THIS LIE, BUT IT WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME, AND IT WONT BE THE LAST, AS THE SAME DESPOT RELIGION GUY IN THIS NOW SAYS IT'S OCTOBER 21,2011 OK, HOW MANY IN POLITICS BELIEVE THIS FAITH BASED INITIATIVE PREDICTION, FOR PERRY, BACHMANN etc. DID NOT SPEAK OUT ON THIS PRESSING CONCERN, BUT STAYED QUIET, UNTIL IT FAILED, MAY 21,2011 AT 6PM, ONLY THEN DID THEY SAY THEIR DOUBTS, SO SHOULD THIS DARK AGE MIND SET RUN THE COUNTRY?
GOOGLE: MAY, 21,2011 END OF WORLD CALCULATIONS, THEN REPLACE WITH OCTOBER 21,2011
says the religous freak
How the heck are we gonna tax religion when we cant even get the GOP to tax the super rich(i wonder why)
The tea babbers aren't smart enough to know whats going on.................YET......but they will...
Everyone keeps saying tax the super rich saying that anyone making 250,000 or more are super rich. I know plenty of people that are makeing close to 600 or 700,000 a year and they're just living their life trying to retire like the rest of us, they just may be able to do it before they turn 65. They don't own a jet, or a big company, or pay little to no taxes. One of these people I know is a tax lawyer who has many clients that do make over 1 mil. and they all pay out the a.ss in taxes
The problem isn't the government isn't getting enough money, the problem is families that have been living on welfare for generations and people turning down jobs because they're making more money on unemployment than they would be making at that job.
Most republicans are complete idiots, I admit, but so are most dems. Most republicans though, know that the real problem doesn't lie with the amount of money the gov. is getting but where that money is going.
Financially, the republicans have it mostly right. Socially, the democrats have it mostly right.
I'm an independant by the way.
Sadist
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"...Someone who obtains pleasure from inflicting pain on others.
DEBT PROBLEM SOLVED – TAX THE CHURCHES – every single one!!!
your little off on your game buddy everyone is tax on some shape or form
so, in your little world churches are taxed? troll
Where does the money come from that funds the religious lobbying groups? If the source is from tax-deductible contributions made to religious organizations, then contributions to those organizations should immediately be considered as taxable. Anyone who knowingly solicited contributions for purposes of political lobbying or who authorized the expenditure of deductible contributions for political lobbying should be charged with tax evasion.
Gee.... I thought we had separation of church and state in this country... Guess that was an illusion along with everything else..... I don't even recognize my own country anymore...
Religious groups spend $390 million a year to influence U.S. domestic and foreign policy.
All practicing Shariah Law in the US of A. Trying to legislate religious morality on the masses through government. Just think of the actual good that money could have done. Jesus and Mohammed, among others, would be so proud! NOT
Dangerous and sickening!
How much does big oil and the others spend, buying influence in Washington?
It should be a crime for any of our leaders to take money for favors, in any shape or form.
And it's a disgrace that some of our legislators leave office and then go and work for the very lobbying firms which corrupt our political system. And it's scandalous that they are paid as much as $1,000,000 to $2,000.000, to sell out of our country.