The Scary Right (BARF ALERT!)

NY Daily News ^ | November 26, 2004 | Errol Louis

[Former Dodger]

Religious zealots riding high after W's win

Less than a month after the national elections, the mullahs of America's religious right are in full swagger. Dispensing with pretense, they are openly reconfiguring American government in the service of a narrow version of fundamentalist Christianity. For weeks, the press has focused on how a vast mobilization of evangelical voters helped President Bush to reelection. That's missing the disturbing sequel to the story: an explicit, organized campaign to erode the nation's status as a modern, secular and constitutional democracy.

Consider the following events, all of which have taken place since Election Day.

In a letter dated Nov. 3, the president of Bob Jones University, the politically influential Bible college in South Carolina, sent Bush an open letter, posted on the school's Web site.

"In your reelection, God has graciously granted America - though she doesn't deserve it - a reprieve from the agenda of paganism," wrote Bob Jones 3rd. "Put your agenda on the front burner and let it boil. You owe the liberals nothing. They despise you because they despise your Christ."

A few days later, James Dobson, the archconservative founder of Focus on the Family, a lobbying group, bluntly notified the nation that he expects Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), in line to become chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to be an errand boy for the religious right.

Specter committed the sin of suggesting that Bush would have problems winning Senate approval of Supreme Court nominees who are determined to overturn Roe vs. Wade and outlaw abortion.

Dobson promptly went on national television to issue a political fatwa. "He is a problem, and he must be derailed," Dobson said.

Senate leaders hastily patched together a compromise that will let Specter keep his job. "He will assume his new position on a very short leash," said Mullah Dobson.

In case any other slow learners in Congress needed help, Dobson gave clear marching orders. "Especially, especially, putting conservative judges on the judiciary, that is the key to everything," he said on ABC's "This Week."

Speaking of the judiciary, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia made two appearances this week that confirm his oft-stated intent to erase traditional lines separating church and state. "We are fools for Christ's sake," Scalia said at a Red Mass, a tradition for Catholic lawyers, in Illinois. "We must pray for the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world."

A few days later, addressing Congregation Shearith Israel in Manhattan, Scalia dropped the Christ references but kept the message touting government support of religion.

"There is something wrong with the principle of neutrality," he told the congregants, according to The Jerusalem Post. The true goal, he said, "is not neutrality between religiousness and nonreligiousness; it is between denominations of religion."

In a 1960 speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, then-Sen. John Kennedy described the restraint and neutrality that government leaders should exercise with regard to religion.

"I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute," said Kennedy. "Where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials.... I believe in a President whose religious views are his own private affair."

America in the age of the mullahs has strayed a long way indeed from Kennedy's wise words.

Originally published on November 26, 2004

[Nick Danger]

the holding of a philosophical view to exclude religion, would only oddly be held to be a religion.

Not any more than the holding of a philosophical view that there is a God, which is all that either the Boy Scouts or the Declaration of Independence are advancing.

It is obvious that the Establishment Clause was meant by the founders to deal with acts such as Henry VIII's, establishing a "Church of England" and demanding that Englishmen adhere to it. It is a huge stretch to claim that the clause prohibits any mention of a God whatsoever, by anyone with the remotest connection to government subsidy. That is nothing less than the godless establishing their religion.

If the Boy Scouts were demanding that scouts become Presbyterians, I could see the objection. But there's nothing like that. Instead we have courts demanding that scouts act like athiests. I fail to see how athiesm is not a religion; it takes as much of an act of faith to believe that there is no God, as to believe there is.

[DaGman]

"A teacher in California was forbidden to teach students about the Declaration of Independence, on the grounds that it violates the established religion of the state, which is secularism."

I'm calling BS on that one. I'm saying it flat did not happen. Someone made it up or someone is taking something compeletely out of context in order to push an agenda.

I, for one, have my kid in a private Catholic school because I don't want government shoving some Protestant cleric's version of religion down her throat. There is a completly undeniable separation of church and state. I want the government to keep its filthy nose out of our religion. The damn government controls everything it wants now, and some are even pushing it to control the version of religion that is dispensed. This is starting to tick me off!!

My child is taught that she must do good deeds for other people if she has any hope of getting into heaven. I for damn sure don't want the government telling her in a public school that this is not true because some Protestant cleric is making the government say otherwise. Its none of the government's damn business. This is exactly why there is a separation of church and state.

Flame away, but I'm getting royally ticked about all of this.

[shibumi]

I have a very deep, inbred respect for language. I am making a distinction between religion and faith.

[verifythentrust]

Having faith in some philosophy or the absence of something does not constitute that object. In fact it would be the antithesis.

[Clemenza]

Be afraid, be VERY afraid Errol!

[LibertarianInExile]

You shoulda bashed those rugmunchers.

JUST kidding. :)

[verifythentrust]

as was I, perhaps I was not clear in my choice of vocabulary. In general, the absence of something is not evidence of the object which is absent.

[Phosgood]

"I think reading between the lines spells out "unemployed.""

How about NEVER employed?

[Nick Danger]

I'm calling BS on that one. I'm saying it flat did not happen.

You lose.

[jocon307]

"The City Sun"

Yes, yes, you are likely correct that it's an error in the original.

[free_life]

YES! Wheee...wow.... thanks for roadmap Errol.

Think I will get archconservative tattooed on my butt...maybe with winner under it .............LOL..............................................................

[LibertarianInExile]

Skeptical with you BUMP!

I don't think the whole story has been told on that CA thing, either. If you read the complaint filed on thesmokinggun.com, at LEAST two of the handouts that he put out were directly intended to push religion. The 'national day of prayer proclamation' he handed out was definitely NOT coincidental (though he claimed it was 'an example of a presidential proclamation'), and handing out 'what great leaders have said about the bible' and 'a history of "in god we trust"' are not exactly indicative of his extensive use of excerpts of historical documents from a non-proselytizing perspective.

[jpsb]

Thi quote needs to be put in it's proper context

"I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute," said Kennedy. "Where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials.... I believe in a President whose religious views are his own private affair."

kennedy was attempting to reassure the US public that as a Cholic (first one elected president) he would not be doing the bidding of the Pope in Rome. Just like a Jew running for president would have to assure the public that he was not a tool for Israel and would not be at their beck and call.

The author knows this and yet uses this misleading quote anyway, shame on him, I can understand why the editors at the Sun let him go.

[Phosgood]

"My child is taught that she must do good deeds for other people if she has any hope of getting into heaven"...

There was ONE who preached that good deeds will not get you into heaven AND he was not a Protestant...

You are sitting on a small blue flame of your own ignition..

[cripplecreek]

They live in Minneapolis and were talking about using the skywalks during the winter. They claim to be environmentalists so I pointed out that a true environmentalist doesn't avoid the weather, he revels in it.

[jpsb]

This guy Dagman looks like a troll to me, I think his entire post was bogus.

[Rockitz]

My child is taught that she must do good deeds for other people if she has any hope of getting into heaven.

Recall Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast."

While it says in James that faith without works is dead, you neglect the fact that we are saved by faith, not works alone. I personally believe it irresponsible to teach a child that he or she can buy their way into heaven with good works. Good works should be a manifestation of faith.

[PatrickHenry]

Per our earlier conversation.

Yup. It takes all kinds. Whatcha gonna do?

[so_real]

"There is something wrong with the principle of neutrality," he told the congregants, according to The Jerusalem Post. The true goal, he said, "is not neutrality between religiousness and nonreligiousness; it is between denominations of religion."

Scalia gets it :-)

Remember when Gibson's Passion of the Christ was under fire while it was still in production? In the same way, the First Amendment, Roe vs. Wade, and the Supreme Court appointees are under fire now. The opposition is attempting to taint our thoughts and weaken our resolve before the event, and to allow us an 'easy out' when the time comes. Stand firm, my friends, and speak loudly. We didn't work so hard on this election just to appease the other side as the fruits of our labor come to bear.

[lonevoice]

"The ACLU used the power of the state, as manifested by the courts, to force the Pentagon to withdraw sponsorship from Boy Scout troops across the country, on the grounds that the Scouts violate the established religion of the state, which is secularism.

A teacher in California was forbidden to teach students about the Declaration of Independence, on the grounds that it violates the established religion of the state, which is secularism."

Well said.