WASHINGTON, June 29 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaking at a Washington conference, urged fellow Democrats to recognize the power of faith in public life.
Obama was one of the final speakers Wednesday at Call to Renewal, a conference of Christians concerned about fighting poverty, The Washington Post reported. He spoke of his own work as a community organizer and how that affected his own faith.
"I was able to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death," Obama said. "It is an active, palpable agent in the world. It is a source of hope."
The senator accused some religious conservatives, including Pat Robertson and the Rev. Jerry Falwell, of manipulating Christianity. But he said that liberals have been too ready to dismiss all religious people as intolerant.
"Over the long haul, I think we make a mistake when we fail to acknowledge the power of faith in the lives of the American people, and join a serious debate about how to reconcile faith with our modern, pluralistic democracy," Obama said.
