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New York, NY – September 2007 – Beliefnet and TIME magazine are teaming up for the launch of GOD-O-METER ’08, a unique and scientific device for measuring how candidates use religion in the race to the White House. GOD-O-METER provides immediate and authoritative reads of the impact candidates’ faith-based words and actions have on their campaigns. Beliefnet.com will introduce the GOD-O-METER, and begin updating it constantly, on Thursday, September 27th. A weekly edition, covering the biggest religion and political developments of the previous week, will debut in TIME magazine on Friday, September 28th for the issued dated October 8th.
Expert analysis and updating will be directed by Beliefnet politics editor Dan Gilgoff and managing editor Deborah Caldwell.
“As the presidential primaries close in, we are once again seeing issues of faith play an integral part in the candidates’ strategies,” said Steven Waldman, Beliefnet’s founder, editor-in-chief and CEO. “We’ve created a fun tool backed up with expert political analysis that will inform and help Americans keep track of it all.”
How GOD-O-METER Works:
GOD-O-METER by TIME & Beliefnet is a round, odometer-like gauge with a needle that moves from 0 to 10. A needle at the low end of the scale indicates a candidate with a SECULARIST profile; as the needle moves higher, GOD-O-METER indicates that the candidate is becoming more THEOCRATIC.
Each of the 17 presidential candidates has a gauge, accessed via the GOD-O-METER icon on Beliefnet’s homepage (or, before Thursday’s official launch, at http://blog.beliefnet.com/godometer/index.html). By clicking on the face of any candidate, users will view that candidate’s latest reading. With every update or movement, there will be a blog post that elaborates on what the latest development means for that candidate.
The GOD-O-METER is the first in a series of new political features Beliefnet is rolling out for the 2008 presidential campaign. Others to launch in coming weeks include a political mashup blog featuring well-known authors and Beliefnet contributors Jim Wallis, David Kuo and Rod Dreher, together with Beliefnet founder, editor-in-chief and CEO Steven Waldman, politics editor Dan Gilgoff and managing editor Deborah Caldwell in unprecedented analysis of political developments from a religious perspective.
Additionally, in collaboration with News21 and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, Beliefnet will host One Vote Under God, a comprehensive and interactive campaign matrix detailing the role religion plays in each candidate's campaign and where each stands on religion-related issues such as abortion and religious extremism. Transcripts and video from Beliefnet's ongoing series of interviews with the presidential candidates will be posted throughout the campaign season.
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About Beliefnet
Beliefnet, winner of the 2007 National Magazine Award for General Excellence Online, is the largest online community for spirituality and inspiration. Its mission is to help people find and walk a spiritual path that instills comfort, hope, clarity, strength and happiness for people who are exploring their own faith or curious about other spiritual traditions. Beliefnet offers a wide variety of resources including articles, quizzes, devotionals, sacred text searches, photo galleries and intimate interviews with noted politicians, celebrities and the world’s most esteemed clergy and spiritual leaders. Beliefnet, Inc. is an independent, privately held company with more than 2.8 million unique visitors each month according to Media Metrix, and a daily newsletter readership of nearly 10 million subscribers. The company is not affiliated with any spiritual organization or movement.
