For an election that was supposed to be all about the economy, we're spending a lot of time on the role religion should play in public life.
Thanks to some unfortunate remarks from a couple of the presidential candidates, we now know they believe the constitutional wall of separation between church and state is more like a hedge, an open gate, or worse, a fenceless backyard.
Thomas Jefferson didn't mince words when he called it a "wall of separation."
That's why the ACLU Liberty Watch 2012 campaign just released a new candidate report card on religious freedom issues, including government funding of religion, teaching creationism in public schools and school-sponsored prayer. Its findings suggest the First Amendment's wall might turn into rubble if many of the candidates had their way.
The highest score went to President Obama, who earned 14 torches out of a possible 20. Mitt Romney was the highest-scoring Republican candidate, a dubious distinction, after earning a mere four torches.
At least he did better than Rick Santorum, who could not light a single torch on any issue. Then again, that's hardly a surprise. Santorum has made a point of telling Americans that the wall makes him sick to his stomach.
Throughout his campaign, Santorum has talked about constitutional values while taking positions at odds with the freedoms we cherish. On Monday, Santorum told a crowd in Alabama: "The Constitution does not give us rights. It recognizes rights that are written on our heart because we are a creature of God. That's where we get our rights from."
News to us.
Here are some more highlights from the report card:
Robert Frost offered some sage advice here: "good fences make good neighbors." And a wall is a great fence.
Let's keep our "wall of separation" a wall -- not a hedge, a field or even chicken wire. If we do so, church and state can stay good neighbors in the lives of the American people.
Robert Reich: The Difference Between Private and Public Morality
Glen Browder: Santorum Hits Dramatic Home Run in Dixie Primary
Mike Lux: Jesus vs. the Christians
Stewart J. Lawrence: The Thrill Is Gone: Are Republicans Giving Up on the White House?
Rick Santorum Asserts Support For Church And State Separation ...
Santorum and Madison on church and state - Political Bookworm ...
Separating church and state, Kennedy and Santorum - latimes.com
In every country and every age, the priest had been hostile to Liberty.
I never will, by any word or act, bow to the shrine of intolerance or admit a right of inquiry into the religious opinions of others.
://www.jewishworldreview.com/tony/snow071699.aspoint out that the first prominent person to compare the modern GOP with the Taliban wasn't a Democrat.
It was George W. Bush's former press secretary himself:
"The Taliban Republicans take a darker view of human nature. They consider the rest of us a bunch of potential dupes and regard society as a stew of corrupting influences. They look upon government as the ultimate street cleaner and see nothing untoward in declaring the moral equivalent of martial law: Jail the sinners, elevate the saints, establish the rule of the righteous, and do it all before the next sunrise."
I must re-submit it...
I *LOVE* to point out that it wasn't a Democrat, but a more secular conservative Republican who first compared the modern GOP to the Taliban.
"The Taliban Republicans take a darker view of human nature. .... They look upon government as the ultimate street cleaner and see nothing untoward in declaring the moral equivalent of martial law: Jail the sinners, elevate the saints, establish the rule of the righteous, and do it all before the next sunrise."
Tony Snow, "Pointed to a Destination Called Nowhere," July 16, 1999.
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/tony/snow071699.asp
"No King But King Jesus!
Reclaiming the Crown Rights of Jesus Christ"
http://www.prayeralert.org/wir/archives/noking.html
It's a comprehensive, ugly blueprint for *TOTAL* government control of every last aspect of our private lives.
"We establish no religion in this country. We command no worship. We mandate no belief,
nor will we ever. Church and state are and must remain separate." --Ronald Reagan
Why has the GOP allowed its religious extremists to dominate to the extent that they have?
Teach creationism in public schools along with evolution objectively, not the Biblical account but as textbook hypothesis of intelligent design--natural law that objects man-made and organic don't appear out of thin air and assemble themselves without intelligence behind the production, DNA code in the seeds and so forth as opposed to abiogenesis.
Birth control isn't necessary for health or preventive care and should therefore not be included under medical insurance. Also in the case of contraceptives and faith-sponsored institutions, government is trying to break through the "wall of separation", not the church; lawmakers are the aggressors, using birth control as an excuse to force the religious to conform to a federally mandated belief system. Out of malice.
'Intelligent Design' doesnt' qualify as a hypothesis in the scientific sense. It is not testable. It has no scientific basis and does not belong in a science class.
"natural law that objects man-made and organic don't appear out of thin air and assemble themselves without intelligence behind the production"
This is a gross mis-characterization of evolution and theories pertaining to the origin of life.
"Birth control isn't necessary for health or preventive care "
Just wrong. There are medical conditions that certain forms of birth control help with.
"lawmakers are the aggressors, using birth control as an excuse to force the religious to conform to a federally mandated belief system. Out of malice."
You have zero evidence that the desire to have birth control covered under insurance is done 'out of malice'. Claiming such a thing without evidence is fairly malicious on your part.
If their morals aren't offended by the excess of that purchase, they surely can handle some contraception for their employees.
We will not genuflect to him. We will not allow him to take Sundays off.
I do not want anyone wearing their religion on their sleeve using that religion to pass judgement on me or any of my fellow citizens.
Man cannot serve two masters.
The President is sworn in to office, to uphold and defend our Constitution, not his own set of commandments.
It was bad enough when we had to contend with the neo-con's who want us to wage war at every conceivable threat posed, but now we have to put up with the "theo-con's", those who want to inject religion into every single aspect of daily life in this country. I myself chose to be agnostic after a lifetime of good, solid Methodist up-bringing. My church sent me to college, where my eyes were opened to the science that debunked many of the theories religious teachings invoke. My church was sad to lose me as a congregant, but my pastor knew that I kept a quiet spot in my heart for my ultimate beliefs. He was even prouder that the lesson I came away with after college and my up-bringing was that my religion taught service to others above all else. I have chosen a career in public service that has served me well throughout my lifetime, satisfies my religious background and stays true to my agnostic and secular beliefs as well.