Religion and Politics

Religion is playing a greater political role this campaign season than at any other time in recent memory. Conservative religious organizations -- sometimes called the religious right -- are now a major force in the Republican Party despite predictions two years ago that they were on the decline. The largest of the groups, Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition, has helped lead the opposition to President Clinton and his policies. Administration supporters say the coalition is using religion to mask a purely partisan agenda. Other organizations, such as the liberal People for the American Way, say the religious right threatens the American tradition of separation of church and state. Religious conservatives say they will remain politically active, and some observers believe their political influence will continue to grow.