By John McCarthy, Associated Press Writer

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP, 3/15/06) — A group of clergy concerned that the message from religious groups in this year's political debates is divisive is starting a campaign to focus on issues it believes can bring people of faith together.

 

We Believe Ohio wants to move the debate away from issues that divide, such as the 2004 gay marriage debate in Ohio, to issues associated with religion's traditional charge to help the poor including jobs, education and health care, said the Rev. Tim Ahrens of the First Congregational Church in Columbus, one of the group's founders.

 

The group of more than 100 pastors, priests, rabbis and members of their churches and synagogues planned a rally on Tuesday.

 

The group wants to bring together various faiths to show candidates that their issues are important. We Believe Ohio is currently focusing on voter registration but wants to conduct candidate forums and other events so its members can see where the candidates stand, Ahrens said.

 

``This is a group of people who believe that religion is at its best when it's a binding force,'' Ahrens said Monday.

 

However, Americans have long tackled divisive issues if they lead to the greater good, said the Rev. Russell Johnson of the Fairfield Christian Church in Lancaster, who was active in promoting the successful 2004 statewide gay marriage ban.

 

``Slavery was a divisive issue in the 1860s. It doesn't mean we didn't need to deal with it,'' said Johnson, who heads the Ohio Restoration Project, a Christian conservative activist group that claims more than 1,700 churches.

 

Johnson said the best way to create more jobs is to overhaul a tax code that punishes business and the way to make health care easier to get is to limit the liability of doctors in malpractice lawsuits. Both ideas are promoted by conservative politicians and usually opposed by liberal groups.

 

Political activity by religious groups has been dominated the last few years by conservative Christian groups such as those associated with Johnson and the Rev. Rod Parsley of Columbus. Both have started ambitious plans to sign up new voters. Those pastors' campaigns on behalf of the gay marriage ban pressured people of faith to take a stand in favor of it, more moderate church groups say.

 

Both pastors were named in a complaint filed with the Internal Revenue Service by a group of other religious leaders who questioned their political activity, especially events that featured Republican candidate for governor Kenneth Blackwell. Federal tax law forbids the endorsement of political candidates by nonprofit churches.

 

Both Johnson's and Parsley's churches have denied endorsing anyone.

 

Ahrens said what We Believe Ohio is doing is unrelated to the IRS complaint.

 

The pastors and rabbis plan to make personal appearances with voters and candidates, said Eric McFadden, a spokesman for the group.

 

``They want to get their voice out there, be heard in sermons, public gatherings, maybe even a forum with the candidates,'' McFadden said. ``Elected officials and the candidates take the time and listen.''

 

While no firm plan is yet in place, the group is looking at ways to move beyond its core of central Ohio, Ahrens said. He took note when the group went shopping for an Internet address and found that ``webelieve'' wasn't available but ``webelieveohio'' was.

 

``We believe that God is good all the time. Maybe that's a message that others can join us,'' Ahrens said.