Misplaced Faith (Why Ashcroft Frightens Me) (Super-size barf alert!)

The Washington Post ^ | 12/2/02 | William Raspberry

[witnesstothefall]

This piece is anti-religious bigotry pure and simple. Another smarmy liberal's semiliterate attempt at casting subtle aspersions upon Ashcroft's personal religious beliefs in particular, and the rest of American Christians' beliefs in general.

[tuna_battle]

"To those who don't already agree with me, it won't seem fair to lump Ashcroft in with the religio-political right crowd that would shove its version of religious truth down our throats".

The bolded statement above implies that eventually everyone should agree with the writer (or else they're wrong). Pathetic.

[moneyrunner]

One of the original purposes of the first amendment – and article 6 - is not only to avoid the creation of an established church but also to prohibit the use of a religious test in order to hold office. It seems that Raspberry is perfectly willing to use a religious test to prevent Christians from holding public office. This is in line with the objections raised by Liberals during Ashcroft’s confirmation hearings. It is quite frightening that any responsible opinion maker should be as blatant about this desire to discriminate against Christians so openly. It is reminiscent of the fashionable anti-Semitism of early 20th Century Europe as well as the open racist bigotry of the South prior to the civil rights marches.