KIM LAWTON: Former Republican senator John Danforth released a new book this week called FAITH AND POLITICS. Danforth was a U.S. senator from Missouri for three terms and also the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. And he is an ordained Episcopal priest. In his new book, Danforth accuses faith-based activists, and particularly conservatives, of over-politicizing religion.

John Danforth is no stranger to the notion of religion playing a role in politics. After all, during the years he was a senator and then a diplomat, he always remained an active Episcopal priest. But the Republican from Missouri says he believes religion has now become a divisive force in the American political scene. He blames the conservative religious influence on his own party.

Senator JOHN DANFORTH: Now there is a blatant appeal, particularly in the Republican Party, to members of the Christian right. It's considered the base of the Republican Party. I don't think this is good for my party. I don't think it's good for the country.

LAWTON: In venues across the country he's been sounding the alarm about the dangers of politicizing religion.

Sen. DANFORTH (at press conference): The one applause line that I get when I make speeches is, we're too polarized in this country right now. We are so polarized we are stalemated between the right and the left, and the ordinary people are left out.

LAWTON: Danforth says the pivotal moment for him came in 2005 during the case of Terri Schiavo. He says he was horrified to watch religious activists pressure Republican members of Congress to intervene -- something he felt was none of the federal government's business.

Sen. DANFORTH: That was, to me, the two-by-four that hit me over the head. I had been not that aware of the implications of religion and politics until the Terry Schiavo case, and then everything else fell into place after that.

LAWTON: In his new book, Danforth criticizes the GOP for focusing on issues such as abortion and gay marriage, and he slams conservative Christians for pushing what he believes is an inappropriate religious agenda.

Sen. DANFORTH: Church people should speak out on behalf of reconciliation, as opposed to emphasizing all of these wedge issues that in the name of religion tend to split us apart.

LAWTON: Why is abortion a wedge issue and poverty or social security not?

Sen. DANFORTH: A wedge issue is one that is designed for the express purpose of energizing a political base. For the Republican Party, the base of the Republican Party has become the Christian right, and they have a series of issues that are important to them that are not necessarily important for the future of the country, at least I don't think they are.

LAWTON: If people have a strong conviction about something, it's a moral issue for them, shouldn't they advocate strongly for that?

Sen. DANFORTH: Of course, they -- anybody -- should participate in the political process and do so energetically and do so forcefully. But it's also important, I think, for Christians to have a sense of humility and an understanding that they don't monopolize God's truth.

LAWTON: Danforth dismisses conservative critics who say his comments are motivated by his frustration that his political priorities are no longer embraced by the majority of his party.

Sen. DANFORTH: I'm not asking that any particular point of view that I have wins. I'm just saying that somehow we've got to come together sufficiently so that we keep the country glued together and that we're able to deal with energy and terrorism and the budget and Social Security and Medicare and all these difficult issues.

LAWTON: He says his work as President Bush's special envoy for Sudan showed him how religion can fuel violence.

Sen. DANFORTH: It's clear that when you look at conflicts around the world, in Sudan, in Iraq, in Kashmir, wherever, religion is often a significant part of that conflict. The people kill each other because they think God wants them to kill each other.

LAWTON: At the same time, Danforth is willing to take a stand on controversial issues and to use religious reasons as a justification. In Missouri, he's actively campaigning in support of Amendment 2, a measure on the ballot this fall that would change the state constitution to explicitly allow embryonic stem cell research.