We have suffered greatly at the hands of "people of faith," from the irrational extremism that often accompanies belief in an irrational God. But we have let the fear of the past dictate our mission for the future. Particularly in areas of America populated by Jews, we have seen the emergence of a secularism that threatens the moral fabric of this nation. Like in Europe, the contempt for what religion has caused in the past has led whole populations to abandon faith. As Jews, we have a responsibility to promote God's message in the entire world; as American Jews, we must start here...

The power of the Christian Right stands as testimony to a backlash against secularism. Though it may offend our inherited sensibilities, these fine people are closer to where we should be than most of the rest of society.