bush asks churchgoers to turn over membership directories

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Bush, seeking to mobilize religious conservatives for his reelection campaign, has asked church-going volunteers to turn over church membership directories, campaign officials said on Thursday.

A copy of the guide obtained by Reuters directs religious volunteers to send church directories to state campaign committees, identify new churches that can be organized by the Bush campaign and talk to clergy about holding voter registration drives.

The document, distributed to campaign coordinators across the country earlier this year, also recommends that volunteers distribute voter guides in church and use Sunday service programs for get-out-the-vote drives.

Religious and secular leaders alike are condemning this move, as well they should be. Think about the implications of the government having a list of which Americans go to church, and which don’t. Call me paranoid, but that can’t come to any good.

One Southern Baptist pastor said that while they have held drives encouraging church members to “vote their values” (i.e. for Bush), “…it’s one thing for us to do that. It’s a totally different thing for a partisan campaign to come in and try to organize a church.”

Not to mention that they’re not asking the church LEADERS for these lists… they are asking church members to send them in on the sly. Why? Could it be because they know what they’re asking is on the dirty side of shady?