Theocrats in Washington
March 28, 2003
Today, the House passed H. Res. 153 “Recognizing the public need for fasting and prayer in order to secure the blessings and protection of Providence for the people of the United States and our Armed Forces during the conflict in Iraq and under the threat of terrorism at home.” A public need for prayer and fasting? Oy vey. Why do I get the feeling that the House is saying, “we’re not really doing anything to ensure your safety, so you might as well just pray.” This resolution is highly disturbing. Perhaps the House should ask the President to call up the Saudis (since he’s not really on speaking terms with the Ayatollah) and coordinate the effort with a genuine theocracy so they can show us how it’s really done.
Prof. Volokh believes that the resolution is very wrong, but nevertheless does not violate the Establishment Clause because it is consistent with the Court's ruling in Marsh v. Chambers (a state legislature did not violate the Establishment Clause when it opened each day’s session with a prayer offered by the legislature’s chaplain.)
More later...
Interesting.... Some on city council snub atheist's invocation
Posted by Andrew Raff at March 28, 2003 12:15 AMExcerpt: Where did you find that? Pretty cool!
Weblog: Online Credit Scores
Tracked: April 25, 2007 3:18 AM
First off, anyone who believes that the U.S. truly is an institution where Church and State are separate is severely deluded... It's bad enough that I couldn't buy a bottle of wine last Sunday when some friends stopped by, but now the House thinks that the President needs to tell us all to pray and fast for victory (but this ISN'T a crusade).
As a citizen of a nation that claims separation of church and state, I am embarrassed and frustrated by the hypocrisy my country displays to the rest of the world. While I am a spiritual person, my spirituality (like many others), is a very personal thing. Even if I shared the same concept of God as our illustrious representatives, I'm pretty sure I'd be pretty offended to have the government tell me when to pray and fast. And finally, why the hell would that God want to hear the prayers of a sheepish population, and evoked by a government that so flagrantly defies God's laws in the worst possible ways.
How did the republican party so successfully co-opt the Christian faith? I don't claim to have a theology doctorate on Christianity, but I do remember a few things from Catholic school. Namely that Jesus hung out mostly with the poor, and the sick. To put that into context, if Jesus were alive right now, you'd find him in downtown Detroit chatting it up with homeless people, prostitutes, drug addicts and anyone else who will listen. All the while, most of the republican-voting business elite who pass by Jesus as he speaks to the crowds will rush back to work, anxious to tell the rest of the office about the smelly hippie talking to all the street trash.
Not that the dem's are any more worthy enough to get the big J's endorsement either. But that's my whole point. I don't believe in the separation of Church and State because I fear or hate religion, but the exact opposite: because I cherish my beliefs and hate to see them being used and abused by those in power.
God just has no place in government, government has no right to speak for God, and nobody has any place telling people what God wants from them or how to practice their beliefs.
Posted by: Brian Douglas on March 28, 2003 4:24 PMFirst off, anyone who believes that the U.S. truly is an institution where Church and State are separate is severely deluded... It's bad enough that I couldn't buy a bottle of wine last Sunday when some friends stopped by, but now the House thinks that the President needs to tell us all to pray and fast for victory (but this ISN'T a crusade).
As a citizen of a nation that claims separation of church and state, I am embarrassed and frustrated by the hypocrisy my country displays to the rest of the world. While I am a spiritual person, my spirituality (like many others), is a very personal thing. Even if I shared the same concept of God as our illustrious representatives, I'm pretty sure I'd be pretty offended to have the government tell me when to pray and fast. And finally, why the hell would that God want to hear the prayers of a sheepish population, and evoked by a government that so flagrantly defies God's laws in the worst possible ways.
How did the republican party so successfully co-opt the Christian faith? I don't claim to have a theology doctorate on Christianity, but I do remember a few things from Catholic school. Namely that Jesus hung out mostly with the poor, and the sick. To put that into context, if Jesus were alive right now, you'd find him in downtown Detroit chatting it up with homeless people, prostitutes, drug addicts and anyone else who will listen. All the while, most of the republican-voting business elite who pass by Jesus as he speaks to the crowds will rush back to work, anxious to tell the rest of the office about the smelly hippie talking to all the street trash.
Not that the dem's are any more worthy enough to get the big J's endorsement either. But that's my whole point. I don't believe in the separation of Church and State because I fear or hate religion, but the exact opposite: because I cherish my beliefs and hate to see them being used and abused by those in power.
God just has no place in government, government has no right to speak for God, and nobody has any place telling people what God wants from them or how to practice their beliefs.
Posted by: Brian Douglas on March 28, 2003 4:25 PM