Rant on Religion & Politics
This little rant will upset some who might read it.
I literally get hundreds of emails a day and it takes hours each day to sort through them and answer those that require a response. Many are just informative emails from organizations and groups and campaigns. And way too many are chain emails that have been forwarded, and forwarded, and forwarded.
It just amazes me the number I am receiving about Barack Obama explaining how he is anti-America, anti-Christian, anti-Our Values, and some even say he is the Antichrist! And with each of these anti-Obama emails there is a paragraph or more on how America was founded as a “Christian Nation” and our laws are all based on the Bible and Judeo-Christian principles.
First off, none of that garbage is true about Barack Obama. I must say the rightwingers have been very successful at portraying themselves as “good Christians,” all while spreading LIES to help them defeat their political opponents. And I always thought that “Thou Shalt Not Lie” was one of the top 10 original Christian values.
The lies about Obama piss me off, but what really just wears me out is the stuff on religion. I am not Anti-America or Anti-Christian. I am anti-lies and anti-ignorance of American history.
Brits fled England and came to the new land in large part for religious freedom. Many of our nation’s Founding Fathers were Diests. Sure there were some, like Patrick Henry, who were vocal in their support of traditional religion, but there were many more who strongly opposed organized religion of any kind, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.
Don’t just read history books written by men who lived hundreds of years after our Founding Fathers died, read what our Founding Fathers wrote with their own hands. Read James Madison, read Thomas Jefferson, read John Adams, they were all prolific writers.
Our nation’s Constitution was based more on early Greek Law than any religious book or doctrine. And while just about anyone who wants to argue this subject knows that the First Amendment to our Constitution begins: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…,” very few can quote Article VI of the Constitution. It states in full (with the parts relevant to this rant bolded):
All debts contracted and engagements entered into, before the adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.
This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.
“No Religious Test” is just about as clear and precise as it gets. America is not, and must not become, divided by religious tribes such as is the case in all the hot spots in the world. We are the UNITED States of America. So why do those who espouse such a loud PRO-America message, work so hard to divide us?
I’ll tell you why – To win elections and hold on to power. It is really a sad statement on our voting public that too often those tactics work.
