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Friday, May 06, 2005

Well, My Nuts Are Halfway Up My Ass, But, Other Than That, I'm Perfect

You may have gleaned that I have a little problem with religion as practiced in America. It's almost comforting to know the feeling is mutual.

As reported first at Democratic Underground and expanded upon at The Daily Kos, but most importantly as broadcast over local TV news, the East Waynesville Baptist Church in North Carolina has kicked out all of its Democratic members.

The minister spearheaded an effort to communicate nine members over abortion rights and homosexuality. Pastor Chan Chandler (sorry, not sure of spelling) believes that if you supported John Kerry or the Democratic Party, you are against the church... but he says his actions are not politically motivated. Forty other church members have left in protest.

The Kos page has some interesting strategies and ideas, foremost being challenging the church's tax-exempt status. But, as far as I'm concerned, the big message from this is:

The war for the soul of America is on.

These people, these superstitious, frightened folks who can't imagine living in a world where God didn't wave his Almighty hand and make stuff, who value the act of birth more than they value the health of the mother or the post-birth life of the child, who think that same-sex marriage is a greater threat than rising deficits or being in an illegal war, want to turn America into the Republic of Gilead -- a theocracy in which the law of God is more important than the laws of men.

Which is, y'know, one of the reasons that the law of God was not even mentioned in the Constitution.

The religious flakes want to cast different-thinking people out of society, folks.

The war for the soul of America is on.

Comments:
Here's a nice site giving a summation of the pertinent quotes from the Founders concerning what they thought about the separation of church and state.

To summarize, they thought it was a really good idea.
 
All I have to say is...

What. The. Crap?
 
hmmmm separation of church and state ... yes a good idea.

BUT remember, this is to keep religion out of politics, not the other way around.

Does a church group have the right to their own opinions on what they believe is right? most certainly.

Then again, from the small bit I read - a majority of the members left in protest - not thrown out.

just devils advocate - not saying that they are right - just that they have the right - it is called freedom. This is what we all advocate, yes?

any
 
Bingo on that last comment! They have the right, odious as it may be, to throw people out.....and we liberals have the right to leave! Any liberal who is a member of a fundamentalist church should leave right now. There's no excuse for supporting these idiots with our money. We should be challenging them in courts on their tax-exempt status and on any thing else we can come up with. And we should form our own churches.....for us, by us.
 
Oh, I absolutely believe they do indeed have the right to limit their membership. There are three things that make this particularly odious to me, however:

1. I certainly don't recall any church naming your voter registration as a requirement for dropping in and talking to God;

2. Part of the way the laws handle the separation of church and state is to exempt churches from taxation, on provision that (among other things) they do not specifically endorse one political party over another;

3. Another example of Dubya's version of being a uniter-not-a-divider, i.e., a big-time divider. In this case, this pastor has literally fractured his own spiritual community, in favor of supporters of the guy who lied us into war, wears the bible on his sleeve, etc., etc., etc.

I'm getting awfully damn sick of some sanctimonious folks using "morality" to abuse, censure, and even threaten other people. The only morality I care about is that involving doing good for people. If you can't get that done first, you have no business spouting off about any other trumped-up aspect of it... especially not to make political points.
 
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