Some Thoughts on Religion and Politics
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/cont/node/4279
[excerpt]
January 19, 2008 - 12:09pm
Sadly, the latest public debates about mixing politics with religion
(particularly as it relates to abortion, sex and legalizing Gay
marriage) have been commanded by a well-organized (albeit unlikely)
combination of both traditional and fundamentalist evangelical
"Christian" institutions. The latter remain particularly non-inclusive
in their approach to religion.
Fortunately, the hypocrisy of such "Christian" behavior (purported to
be founded on principles of love, inclusiveness and acceptance, but
which are now being increasingly displayed as narrow intolerance for
the beliefs and private sexual behavior of others) is now blatantly on
display for the entire world to see.
And, particularly in the Presidential campaign of Mr. Huckabee of
Arkansas, it has become increasingly laced with ever-bigger lies,
blatant bigotry and outright hypocrisy.
Fortunately, it's now becoming ever harder for even far right
Christians to blindly accept lectures on what is "abnormal" sexual
behavior from such institutions as the Roman Catholic Church that
still firmly considers celibacy for its priests to be "normal". This
is the same institution that is STILL spending millions in legal fees
defending…and trying to cover up and protect…its large cadre of
pedophile Priests.
I think it's also critically important for all of us to remember that,
when they set up our country and wrote our Constitution, the Founding
Fathers were very careful to include a clear separation between Church
and State.
Maybe that's because a large number of them (like Thomas Jefferson)
were Deists who also knew full well how freedoms quickly evaporate
once organized religion (of any genre) mixes with government. And,
they were bound and determined NOT to let their new country become a
Theocracy.
Anyone who truly believes in the full separation of Church and State
should now recognize the current attempts by the right-wing
fundamentalist Christians to hijack and control our government as
nothing more than their desperate, last-ditch attempt to salvage
what's left of their once complete power to control people's money,
thoughts and lives.
Unfortunately, Mr. Bush (along with the far-right-wing fundamentalist
theocrats in the US Congress and candidates like Mr. Huckabee now
running for President) are desperately trying to preserve, protect and
then codify these narrow moral precepts into US law. They now seem
bound and determined to ram their far right, "good vs. evil",
Christian fundamentalist religious views down all our throats "by law"
whether we (or what's written in our Constitution) happens to agree
with them or not.
The noted author Sinclair Lewis probably summed this danger up best
when he said that, "When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped
in the flag and carrying the cross".
The bottom line here is that our precious freedoms can be FAR more
easily taken from us by religious theocrat zealots pushing "moral
values" legislation than by the work of any rag-tag bunch of terrorists.
Hopefully, enough of us will see through this gigantic fundamentalist
"power grab" and act accordingly when our turn comes in the election
booth.
[end excerpt]
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You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation
of Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Historical Reality SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
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.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is
why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v.
Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
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USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote
"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"
That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.
It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.
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THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
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