After a hotly contested election year withonce againa particular focus on the religious right, many Americans are left with a generalized view of organized spirituality as being dogmatic and intolerant of differences. Though such generalities might be based on some specifics, they exclude an entire movement of clergy and religiously-affiliated laypeople who actively campaign for progressive issues such as marriage equality, gender equality and racial tolerance.

In fact, this religious left is effectively changing the way the public views some of the most significant social justice issues facing America today.

Self-identifying Christian and Jewish activists played a large role in legalizing same-sex marriage in four states this year. Jay Michaelson is an openly gay religious scholar, longtime LGBT activist, and author of God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality. Michaelson was part of that movement for marriage equality, working at a grass-roots level to help faith-based communities reconcile their spiritual beliefs with the rights of the LGBT community. As a result, states like Maryland made history by voting to legalize same-sex marriage.

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Michaelson tells TakePart that those wins came from faith-based principles that allowed activists to meet people with compassion and understanding. We won because we were able to have conversations one on one with people of faith who are not bigoted or close-minded, but are sincerely struggling with these issues. Really, its a statistical fact that most people are somewhere in the middle. A lot of people of faith were supportive in general, but had deep reservations. We were able to engage with millions of people across the country during this election season, and thats the role we [religiously affiliated groups] should be playing.

Though LGBT rights and deep religious belief might superficially appear to be in conflict, its precisely because of their faith that the so-called religious left can embrace and champion the rights of people who are often maligned or looked upon as being on the fringe.

Pastor Joseph W. Tolton, the leader of Harlems groundbreaking Temple Christ Conscious Church, sees his faith as an instrument of inclusion. The pastor credits President Obama with introducing that concept to the country as a whole.

Whatever spirituality means, it has something to do with being honest and truthful to yourself and others and being available to love and you cant do all those things if youre lying about who you are to yourself and everybody else.

Tolton tells TakePart, When President Obama made his declaration to support marriage equality, for me the most important thing that he said was that his faith informed his decision. The cultural market is presenting a wonderful opportunity for faith to take a new role in driving the principles and the values of inclusion and driving a social justice agenda at the intersection of womens rights, racial justice and LGBT inclusion, which actually play off of each other and work in support of each other. These issues are no longer siloed. I think thats something the left brings to faith-based organizing.

Michaelson says that his earliest beliefs about his Jewish faith made him feel a sense of shame and fear about identifying as gay. Later, he came to understand that his beliefs and his sexuality were actually perfectly aligned. Whatever spirituality means, it has something to do with being honest and truthful to yourself and others and being available to loveand you cant do all those things if youre lying about who you are to yourself and everybody else.

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Liberals in our Midst: How the Religious Left Is Changing America’s Future