Blog Against Theocracy

This Easter Sunday I'm planning to spend my time in prayer and meditation. And one of the things about which I think is that my Savior went to the cross because the religious leaders of his day worked with the government to send him there. If that's not a reason to oppose the government getting together with religion, I don't know how to explain it to those of the Christian faith. But I've also lived in areas where my faith is not the dominant religion. And that separation of church and state protected me and my worship. Then there's the plain and simple truth that if my religion needs the government for support it is not much of a religion. I have faith that God can work within or without the government. God just doesn't need the government to support religion if God is really God.

So for all those reasons I'm against making a government based on religion, even if the religion is my own.

Oh yes, other people blogging are here and here and a hat tip to Pam's House Blend for pointing this out

Hate crimes don't impact religious freedom

The Exodus International web site has a ridiculous editorial about how hate crime laws will affect religious freedom. The problem with their logic is that hate crime laws go into effect after a crime is committed. Do they want religious freedom to beat someone up using a bat? I suspect not or, if they do, they won't admit it. Religious freedom and worship, freedom of speech, the ability to speak one's mind is not affected by hate crime laws. My freedoms and your freedoms are not affected.

There are problems with some, if not all, hate crime laws. Those problems have nothing to do with the right to worship free from state interference.

The Koran and what it means

Well, the idiocy begins over swearing on the Koran - from the National Review

Jefferson's Koran [James S. Robbins]
The Bashaw of Tripoli’s justification for war on American trading ships in the Mediterranean two hundred years ago, according to Thomas Jefferson, was that “it was founded on the Laws of the Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners.” By all means let Keith Ellison swear in using Jefferson's Koran, maybe afterwards he can look up the passages that discuss smiting the infidels at the neck and make great slaughter among them. Probably underlined.

Why am I not surprised. This editorial seems to have no idea that the documents from Jefferson around this incident are about not being a Christian nation. In one translation (as the two languages have some differences) the Treaty of Tripoli says:

"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."

This puts a damper on the idea that Christianity as the only or primary religion of the USA was what is envisioned by our founding fathers.

Goode is not so good

There's a great editorial at Huffington Post on Rep. Goode - the guy who sent out a newsletter badmouthing the election of a muslim to congress. Robert J Ellsberg is correct when he suggests Goode read the constitution. I'd also suggest more reading of scripture, as well as figuring out that the Muslim against whom he's spoken isn't an immigrant.

Tolerance and Intolerance

I've been discussing with some people the happening during the Vietnam war where some returning soldiers were greeted with disrespect. But then some articles today reminded me that the same thing happens today.

The first was a letter from Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA)suggesting that theelection of a Muslim was a bad thing - we should keep watch on the bordersor more of this will happen

The second was an attack on two men because they were holding hands. Thewere attacked as they came out of a restaurant.

For me these are both symptoms of the same thing - a lack of tolerance for those who are different. And certainly there are some gays and muslims who are very intolerant - I just didn't see stories about them this morning. And the question for me is what are we called to do. I see in scriptures a man who welcomed sinners, ate with prostitutes and tax collectors, who preached about religious leaders and rich people of the day putting burdens on the backs of the poor. And I wonder who can call themselves Christian and attack people for holding hands or write that another faith than their own is a threat to a nation in which both are citizens.

Where is the call to avoid the denunciations that lead to these acts?

Where are the calls to treat each other respectfully and civilly?

What I see too often are leaking blivots who say 'but we never meant that to happen from our words. yes we called them this and that but we never meant for that to happen, no we never meant our words to be taken that far' And this is not a new thing - read a little history and we'll see more than one instance where demagogues wanted to take it too far and further for theirown power - yet it should trouble us whenever and wherever it happens.

I wish I had a permanent solution, but I suspect as long as people are people we will have those cries of hatred and fear and those who aredifferent will be persecuted.

Sigh.

A muslim in congress.

A muslim is elected to congress. I'm pleased. Freedom of religion means just that - freedom of religion. But some see this as the beginning of the end. For more information go to Rapture Ready. I've always thought that if our faith was worth anything we didn't need to worry about other religions, evidently I'm wrong. The worries I'm hearing seem a little bit like those that came when we elected a Roman Catholic as president of the U.S.A. The question I have is - do we take our civil liberties seriously or not? If they're just paid lip service then they're worth nothing. We have to stand up and be counted in suport of those who do not worship the way we do so that we can have freedom to worship the way we choose.