I know you've taken a beating over recent posts over religion, Melanie, so I want to see if I can steer your discussion of the topic back to an area where Kos readers are comfortable: the nexus between religion and politics.
This Amy Sullivan post should help that discussion along.
Some key points:
Many faith-based organizations do wonderful things, but that is not evidence that religious organizations as a category are more effective than secular ones, and to date, no such evidence exists.
...
The question is not, for example, whether government should partner with religious organizations to provide social services. It always has, and undoubtedly always will. The question is "when are such partnerships appropriate and how should they be structured and monitored?" Similarly, the question is not whether religious or secular organizations are better, it is "what organizational characteristics are most likely to predict successful program delivery?"
...
No armies of compassion are rushing in to relieve government of its responsibilities for social welfare, and faith has not provided a short-cut to self-sufficiency.
My questions for you, Melanie, are:
a) What do you think of Amy's post?
b) Is there an opportunity for Dems to seize the intiative from Bush here by proposing a framework under which faith-based initiatives are appropriate?