Blurring the line between church and state wasn’t enough to help Kevin Lundberg’s “anti-civil union” initiative. Lundberg, a Republican state representative from Fort Collins, announced on August 7 that his group, Protecting Colorado Children, “did not end up with a sufficient number of signatures to qualify for the ballot.”
Lundberg targeted church-goers heavily in attempts to get the anti-civil union initiative enough signatures. Just a quick glance over the Protecting Colorado Children website leads you to a page entitled “What Can Churches Do?” explaining to the God-fearing masses how to walk the line of legality.An example:
[A church may] engage in voter educational activities such as making available to a church’s members a voter guide of candidate opinions on key issues, issues like abortion, the Federal Marriage Amendment, or gay rights. Such guides must include all viable candidates for the particular office and should be neutral and include a broad range of issues. A voter guide cannot endorse a particular candidate or even suggest that members should vote for a particular candidate or in a particular way. Even the publishing of ratings of candidates is risky.
Lundberg also reminds churches they can make their members list available to any candidate “seeking support or raising funds at fair market value.” Facilities may also be donated to candidates, as long as all parties are invited and given equal time.
Pastors are reminded that they can “personally” endorse candidates, and have their names used publicly for this purpose. Meaning, a candidate is allowed to claim “I’m endorsed by Pastor Bob” without threatening the church’s tax exempt status.
This is just the proverbial ice berg of Lundberg’s attempts to politicize religion. For a sneak-peak of what’s to come, take a look at this (pdf).
