The Religious War On American Liberty Takes Another Disturbing Turn

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Last updated on February 8th, 2013 at 05:07 pm

As a moral and political principle, liberty is the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, and although there are different conceptions of liberty, it primarily relates to the active exercise of freedom and rights. Americans are under the impression that they are living examples of a people who enjoy freedoms and rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution, but their liberty is being eroded by religious and corporate fundamentalists who demand strict adherence to specific dogmata in combination with attacks on perceived threats to their dominance. America is under assault by Christian Fascists (Christofacist’s) who have, until recently, worked behind the scenes infiltrating the military, government, and education sectors to influence policy to impose evangelical ideology on every citizen in the country. They are working in conjunction with corporatists within the Republican Party who have, with assistance from the conservative Supreme Court, sold their legislative power to the highest bidder and are in the process of establishing a religious oligarchy that, if not stopped, will destroy the last vestiges of democracy and liberty.

The Republican war on contraception has caused gnashing of teeth and outrage from women who risk losing their right to choose their own reproductive health, and although it is egregious on myriad levels, it is only a symptom of the larger evangelical plan to dominate America. The evangelical plan integrates the Republican drive to privatize the government to reward corporations while eliminating secular education, scientific research, and separation of church and state. Republicans use religious fervor to impose a pseudo-moralism based on bigotry, patriarchy, racism, and intolerance that benefits the wealthy who take advantage of disenfranchised religious fanatics who support conservatives who promise to correct perceived inequities promoted by Democrats and especially President Obama and his socialist agenda.

The Republicans demonize programs that provide aid to children, the elderly, unemployed Americans, and minorities as a socialist agenda that is contrary to god’s plan and they succeed in provoking evangelical Christians to support policies that are not in their own self interests. However, they support Republicans because their policies are founded in the Christian bible. For example, evangelicals relate to denying food stamps to poverty level Americans because the bible says, “if anyone does not want to work, neither let him eat.” (2 Th.3:10) despite the fact that many food stamp recipients are children, elderly, and working poor citizens. Republicans claim social program cuts are necessary to control the budget, but they are not bothered giving the oil industry, corporations, and wealthiest 1% more tax breaks with budget savings.

The worst offense to the American people is Republicans using religious extremism to undermine legally enacted constitutional protections and legislation. Republicans deny equal rights protections in the Constitution by denying women equal pay and subverting abortion coverage as well as access to health services such as contraception and cancer screenings. Gays are discriminated against in many states despite anti-discrimination laws that Christian fanatics oppose based on the bible, and health care providers are allowed to withhold services based on conscience objections. Liberty for non-religious Americans is being subverted to accommodate religion that is a violation of the separation of church and state and makes a mockery of the Constitution. There are hundreds of examples of religious fundamentalism subjugating democracy and individual liberty and it is leading to a theocracy that began in earnest with President Obama’s election in 2008.

David Barton, the revisionist historian claims that President Obama is the most “biblically hostile U.S. president in the nation’s history.” Barton says the President’s “unwillingness to accommodate America’s four-century long religious conscience protection,” and “his antipathy toward Catholics, Protestants, religious Jews, and the Jewish nation would be to characterize him as anti-Biblical.” Barton’s assertion is false, but it makes the point that in Christian fundamentalist’s view, the bible, and not the Constitution is the law in America and it is why they disregard the Constitution.

America is closer to a theocracy than many Americans believe, and democracy is in danger from Republicans using religion to deny Americans their liberty and ability to govern themselves. Regardless the Founding Fathers’ inclusion of a “wall of separation” of church and state, Republicans in Congress and states are imposing biblical laws without regard for the Constitution. The push by Dominionists and Christian Reconstructionists to impose the bible is aided by corporatists who stir up religious fervor in hopes of privatizing education and there is a need for a movement to halt the advancement of theocracy before it is too late. Religious groups are working within public education to proselytize the next generation of Americans with “after school programs” that are little more than indoctrination scams. In Florida last week, a bill allowing students to deliver “inspirational messages” at public school events passed and Governor Rick Scott signaled he supported the bill in direct violation of the Constitution.

This religious war is an assault on democracy and liberty of Americans who do not subscribe to the Christian religion. For whatever reason, Americans are frightened to speak out against Christians who are intent on replacing the Constitution with the Christian bible and the time for timidity is over. Christians who love freedom and democracy must make a decision to stand up for America or join the Dominionists and aid them in destroying democracy. Academics who are frightened of losing tenure also must speak out before they are rounded up and summarily executed like recalcitrant Gentiles from the Old Testament.

America is at a tipping point between theocracy and democracy, and there is a large army of onward Christian soldiers anxiously awaiting word to begin the Inquisition and Crusade. Their ultimate goal is ending democracy and eventually the United States of America so they can replace it with a United Christian Republic that is funded by corporatists and fully supported by the Republican Party.

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Rmuse

Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.

Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn't look good.

Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.