4 July 2010 Independence Day

4 July 2010 Independence Day


Susan Jacoby writes in the Washington Post

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/spirited_atheist/2010/06/winners_and_sinners_church_and_state_on_independence_day_2.html?hpid=talkbox1

Fourth of July honor roll: champions of American secularism

“There will be a lot of blather this weekend about the United States being a sublimely blessed nation "under God." The United States was indeed blessed at its founding, with an extraordinary generation of leaders who looked to reason, not a supernatural being, to forge a better society than those dominated by state-enforced religion and religion-enforced civic values. Let us thank providence that the Constitution was not written by the sort of anti-intellectual, anti-rational politicians whose voices so often outshout everyone else in the public square today. Make no mistake about it: Imperfect as the Constitution was at the start, as subject as it is to distortion today by those who wish the founders had established the nation on the basis of divine rather than human authority, this document is the main obstacle to those who would prefer a Christian government.

The founders had their vast failings, chief among them the inability to recognize the full humanity and full citizenship of slaves and women. But they established a government that could not, as the moral arc of the universe began to bend toward justice, appeal to an all-powerful God to enforce civil laws that set the more limited, eighteenth-century idea of human rights in stone. “

I encourage you to read the entire article. I find that I frequently read the columns dealing with faith and religion in the Washington Post. I find them necessary to offset the local overload of religion in politics.

I agree with the founders, particularly Jefferson, that there is no place for religion in the government of nations, ours or any. The frequent insistence by local politicians in TN that “this is a Christian nation” leads me to believe that they have never truly read the Constitution despite their practice of carrying a copy and waving it about as if it were a magic talisman at every opportunity.

We were visited by a candidate for county commissioner last week. He appeared to be a home-grown person with a long work history that, at least, earned him our consideration. He left campaign literature behind. When we read it, it dealt more with his church membership and his belief in proselyltization than with any political or civic reason to vote for him. 33% of the literature dealt with religion.

We have a Magen David emblazoned with “Shalom” on our front deck. I wonder what his take on our view of religion would be if we were to sit down and discuss his insistence upon mixing politics and religion.

Out current Congressman stresses religion, His predecessor was fanatical in including religion in every press release and event. I am tempted to start visiting local campaign events and asking the candidates to show me exactly where the intent to make this a Christian nation appears in the U.S. Constitution. None of them will be able to do so. Could be interesting.

I’m sure that the line about watering the tree of liberty with the blood of patriots will be misquoted many times today. Most of the people misquoting it will not be veterans of our armed forces. Funny how that works out. Like Cheney and countless others, these modern patriots are simply too busy to serve in uniform. They’re all for watering the tree of liberty; with someone else’s blood and time. And they’re all for making this a Christian nation despite the founders’ insistence that nothing of that sort was to occur.

We’ve survived another year as a nation despite the ignorance of our citizens and elected officials.

Happy Fourth of July!