Democratic candidates are finally talking about faith and politics. As a seminary educated, active member of my faith community, I'm excited that "my candidates" have finally gotten around to figuring out that religion in the U.S. is not politically synonymous with the Religious Right. The Compassion Forum took place last night at Messiah College and aired on CNN. The forum was developed as a way to invite all the candidates, McCain was unable to attend, to discuss "moral issues that bridge ideological divides."

I guess I should have recognized from the start that some of the issues I care most deeply about were not ones that bridge the ideological divide. In fact, I'm left wondering how moral issues can bridge a divide. It is really our approach, our response to moral issues that either divide us or unite us. In this case, if the new approach to being a "value voter" means I have to leave behind reproductive rights, education and access and equal rights for LGBT persons, I'm once again not in the "moral values" voter block. Seems my commitment to justice for all, keeps getting me kicked out of the politically defined "value voter" category . . . or is it the "compassionate voter."

After reading the list of new mortal sins, I wanted to applaud the Catholic church, of which I am a laywoman and trained academic moral theologian. For the first time in years, there seems to be a focus on the systemic nature of sin. And then, I read the finer details. Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti named a new set of mortal sins at the close of a week long Vatican conference on confession. Why create a new list of mortal sins that recognize the scope of globalization and systemic oppression structurally maintaining social evil, all in an effort to revitalize individual confession?

I'm not alone in this recommendation, but many times, I am the catalyst to people actually talking about sexuality. We may have TV shows, songs, and commercials dripping with sexualized images and yet most of us would be tongue tied when confronted by a 6 year old wanting to know how a baby is made. Over the past seven days, I have talked with more than 10 individuals and 5 groups about sexuality, moral decision making, and education -- from high school church youth group leaders to seminary students, from New Haven Connecticut volunteers for the Real Life, Real Talk campaign to my own congregation's Sunday School teachers. It seems many folks in faith communities are starting to recognize the need to talk openly and share their values about sexuality with the children and teens they serve.

But how to start . . .