http://mainstreambaptist.blogspot.com/2005/07/debating-pluralism.html
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Debating Pluralism
Kudos to Greg Horton, a frequent commenter on this blog and host of The
Parish weblog, for writing an outstanding news story that is published in
the current issue of the Oklahoma Gazette. An excerpt from that article,
"Public Policy Debate" is posted on the Gazette's website (You'll have to
scroll down to the third headline).
Greg interviewed two of Oklahoma's most prominent Christian
Reconstructionists for this story. Neither was shy about admitting the
influence of R. J. Rushdoony on their thinking.
Charlie Meadows, a former talk radio host in Norman and current president
of the influential Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee,
boasted of being a theocrat saying,
"I very much support a theocracy, but not an ecclesiastical theocracy,"
he said. I don't want all Baptists or all Assembly of God. What I would
like are men and women of high moral character and integrity seeking to
govern according to the principles of God."
He added, "I don't think the founding fathers meant freedom of religion
outside Christianity."
Bill Graves, a former State Representative who recently had to relinquish
his office due to term limits, said: "One thing I got from reading
Rushdoony and Russell Kirk is that the state is a religious establishment."
Oklahoma is one of the few states where theocrats are free to speak openly
about their convictions. In other places they would loose support if they
spoke so openly.
posted by Bruce at 1:13 PM
Dr. Bruce Prescott
Location:Norman, Oklahoma, United States
Host of "Religious Talk" on KREF radio (1400 am) at 11:00 each Sunday
Morning, Executive Director of Mainstream Oklahoma Baptists, President of
the Oklahoma Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State
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The Oklahoma City Separation of Church and State Meetup Group
* Separation of Church and State Meetup Group No. 14
http://churchandstate.meetup.com/14/boards/view/viewthread?thread=1438552
Theocrats in the open
Rob Abiera
* Posted Jun 30, 2005 at 5:52 PM
My sincere gratitude to the Oklahoma Gazette for drawing some of
Oklahoma's most dictatorial Christian fundamentalists out into the
open and getting them to openly proclaim themselves as theocrats. They
even get them to acknowledge the influence of Rushdoony!
If you have not yet seen the article, entitled "Public policy debate",
on page 14 of the June 29th issue, run out and grab a copy ASAP!
And don't let go of it, because as far as I'm concerned, you will have
a piece of history in your hands.
For surely this is a historic moment in the struggle to keep church
and state separate in Oklahoma: now we have a definite and visible
target. From now on, everyone will be able to look back at this as the
time when it became no longer possible to evade the fact that there is
a movement to replace the Freedom we have enjoyed for the past 200
years with a religious dictatorship.
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". . . former legislator Bill Graves, were quoted in last week's Oklahoma
Gazette as saying, yes, we are theocrats and we are calling for
Christian theocracy."
Lat week should have been the June 22, 2005 edition since it appears
it comes out every Wed.
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Public Policy Debate:
In a increasing pluralistic and religioulsy adverse country, what values do
we share in common and how do we find a common goal, by Greg Horton
http://www.okgazette.com/builder/BuilderFPnew.asp?DocDate=7/1/2005&Prefix=FPnew&PathIn=F:\InetPub\wwwroot\inex008\builder\docin&RelPathIn=builder/DocIn&MenuDate=7/1/2005
Your shorter link is: http://makeashorterlink.com/?U2D65158B
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You are invited to check out the following:
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and the discussion group for the above site listed below]
HRSepCnS · Hampton Roads SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
[Its not just Hampton Roads folks who are members]
For people in Hampton Roads you are also invited to join
NORFOLK/VA. B. SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE MEETUP GROUP
http://churchandstate.meetup.com/47/
Virginia Chapter Americans United for Separation of Church and State
http://au-va.org/
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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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THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
"Dedicated to combatting 'history by sound bite'."
Now including a re-publication of Tom Peters
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE HOME PAGE
and
Audio links to Supreme Court oral arguments and
Speech by civil rights/constitutional lawyer and others.
This site is a member of the following web rings:
Freethought Ring--&--Freethought, Religion & Beliefs Ring
The First Amendment Ring--&--The Church-State Ring
American History WebRing--&--The History Ring
Let Freedom Ring--&--Religious Freedom Ring
Law Issues Ring--&--Legal Research Ring
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