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Tag(s): Church-State Theocracy; Fundamentalism; Predatory Religion; Religion; Religious Hypocrisy
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July 2, 2007 at 09:47:54

The Creeping Fundamentalist Theocracy

by Kenneth Barr Page 1 of 1 page(s)

www.opednews.com

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"...but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." U.S. Constitution, Article VI, Paragraph 3, 2nd Clause.

It is in this little known and rarely mentioned section of the main body of our Constitution that the separation of religion and government lives. The First Amendment, which prohibits the establishment of an official religion as the faith of the nation and guarantees the individual can believe (or not) in any faith they so choose, flows from this passage. Yet, the Bush Administration has been mounting a relentless attack on this basic principle of our democracy almost from its beginning. It has been trying to inflict a fundamentalist theocracy upon the nation with precious little resistance. Notice I don't say Christian. There is no relationship between the Bushies and the faith of Christ. Christianity teaches love, peace and conciliation. The Bushies believe in fear, hatred and divisiveness. As Bradley Whitford said on "Real Time with Bill Maher" just after Katrina, their religion is supply-side economics.

The nomination of James Holsinger to be Surgeon General is the latest example. Holsinger, as I have written before, is a high ranking official of the United Methodist Church. Recently, he violated the church's discipline to justify the homophobic activities of a UMC minister in Virginia. He also is part of the heirarchy of a church that claims to "cure" homosexuals of their "disease." These are just two examples of what he plans to impress upon the body politic.

Let's move on to Alberto Gonzalez. Gonzo, as both Attorney General and Counsel to the President, ignored long standing American statutes, not to mention the Constitution, to justify the use of terror, suspension of Habeas Corpus and other Constitutionally guaranteed rights based on the unchecked power of the Executive in a time of "war." In reality, this is Leader Principle, the Leader cannot be wrong therefore he is always right. This is the kind of circular logic dominating thought at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Believing that the ends justify any means helps here as well. Recently, Congress has intensified its search into the inner reaches of Gonzo's mind. However, since he considers his constituency to be one, Bush, he couldn't care less. Do we?

The Terry Schiavo case brings the fundamentalist's tactics into sharp focus. Congress was called into emergency session over a weekend by DeLay and Frist. Frist, an alleged M.D., even made a diagnosis from the floor of the Senate without bothering to do even the most rudimentary physical examination of the patient. Bush received the legislation he wanted so that he could sign it at warp speed. Fortunately, the courts stepped in to stop the nonsense. How long we can rely on that is problematic as Bush has had many appointments to the federal bench, both confirmed and recess.

How much longer will our sacred tradition of absolute religious freedom continue? Does anyone out there really care?

Take action -- click here to contact your local newspaper or congress people:
Defend Article VI, Paragraph 3, 2nd Clause of the Constitution

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2 comments

Eileen is the Reporter and Editor of wearewideawake.orgProducer of "30 Minutes with Vanunu" and "13 Minutes with Vanunu" Author of "Keep Hope Alive" and "Memoirs of a Nice Irish American 'Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory" and an e-book; "So, That was 54..."She has been to Israel Palestine five times since June 2005 and will return November 2008.
Eileen FlemingEileen is the Reporter and Editor of wearewideawake.orgProducer of "30 Minutes with Vanunu" and "13 Minutes with Vanunu" Author of "Keep Hope Alive" and "Memoirs of a Nice Irish American 'Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory" and an e-book; "So, That was 54..."She has been to Israel Palestine five times since June 2005 and will return November 2008.

from a grandaughter of a Polish Jew

Ken,

I CARE GREATLY!

And it is personal for me because of my intimate relationship with JC, who was never a Christian! He was a consummate agitator of Temple and State, a social, justice, radical revolutionary Palestinian devout Jew who was born, lived and died under OCCUPATION!

Candidate Bush claimed his favorite Philosopher was JC, but President Bush ignores what JC said was NON-NEGOTIABLE:

You must pray for, love and forgive your enemies;

And the commandment remains: THOU SHALL NOT KILL!

What these neo-con, neo-Christians do NOT want to look at is that Jesus was born, lived and died under OCCUPATION and everything he said was political!

I coined the term "neo-Christians" because like neo-cons are NOT true conservatives, these 'christians' are NOT true Christians!

Anyone can say they are a Christian, they can get baptized and wear a cross around their neck, but unless they follow the Philosophy, they have nothing much in common with the Prince of Peace!

The deist Thomas Jefferson did America and Christianity a great favor when he weeded out the miracle stories from the gospels and clarified the teachings, ethics and PHILOSOPHY of Christ in:

THE LIFE AND MORALS of JESUS of NAZARETH

1. Be just: justice comes from virtue which comes from the heart.
2. Treat people the way we want to be treated.
3. Always work for PEACEFUL resolutions, even to the point of returning violence with COMPASSION.
4. Consider valuable the things that have no material value.
5. Do not judge others.
6. Do not bear grudges.
7. Be modest and unpretentious.
8. Give out of true generosity, not because we expect to be repaid.
9. Being true to one's self in more important than being loyal to one's family...those who think they know the most are the most ignorant...

And what these neo-cons are in desparate need of is COMMON SENSE!

"Soon after I had published the pamphlet "Common Sense" [on Feb. 14, 1776] in America, I saw the exceeding probability that a revolution in the system of government would be followed by a revolution in the system of religion... The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion."-Tom Paine

http://www.wearewideawake.org/

by Eileen Fleming (149 articles, 53 quicklinks, 267 diaries, 584 comments) on Monday, July 2, 2007 at 3:48:53 PM