| Response:
It is vital that religious organizations
educate their congregants about how their faith tradition relates to the
critical issues of the day. But it should be up to each individual to
decide which combination of candidates, parties and legislation would
best represent those values. At the Zen Center, formal talks and
discussions are given periodically about war, poverty, human rights,
consumerism, the environment and personal growth in ethical
decision-making. We emphasize a daily life, engaged practice where
meditative awareness guides all activities, including involvement in the
political arena whether by voting, debating, protesting or running for
office. I would consider it highly unethical for me to imply that a good
Zen practitioner would vote for whatever candidate was my preference.
With the avalanche of spam and junk mail, as
well as concerns about privacy and identity theft, it is important for
an organization to have clear guidelines about the proper use of its
mailing list. In our case, those who have visited the Center, made
inquiries or practiced here are assured that their addresses will not be
given to any other organization for any purpose, and so it would be
unethical for a practitioner trusted with our mailing list to use it for
campaign purposes.
| | During social
time at the Zen Center or outside the Center, practitioners are free to
talk about whatever they wish. In the past year, a quilting club has
emerged, as well as a group involved in the raw food vegan lifestyle. I
don’t quilt and I do eat cooked food, but I am glad to see how the flow
of community life has naturally led to people discovering new friends
and sharing varied interests. It is not the role of the Center to
endorse or interfere with the social activities of the members. In this
context, people could discuss their campaign activities or invite people
to potlucks at their homes, as long as it was very clear that this was a
personal interest, not a Zen Center sponsored activity.
Lastly, religious organizations that receive
tax-exempt status are specifically prohibited from participating in a
political campaign, endorsing candidates or encouraging people to vote
for or against a particular candidate even on the basis of nonpartisan
criteria. Last month the IRS sent a letter to national political parties
on the subject of political activities, stating, “…We want to ensure
that the political committees and the candidates they support understand
the rules.” I believe that respect for the freedom of people who
practice at our Center, and trust in their day-to-day decisions --
including political choices -- is the best rule.
- Rev. Dr. Deborah Barrett |