By Mike Appleton, Weekend Contributor
“All governments are theocracies. We now live in a secular humanist theocracy. I want to change that to a government with God at its head.”
-Gary DeMar (quoted in John Sugg, “A Nation Under God,” Mother Jones (December, 2005)
When I started first grade in 1951, each school day began with the Pledge of Allegiance. We recited “one nation, indivisible,” because people understood that fidelity to one’s country is not a religious virtue. The National Prayer Breakfast was not on anyone’s calendar because it didn’t exist. Politicians felt no compulsion to invoke God’s blessings on the United States at the conclusion of every speech. Protestants opposed every effort to secure public funding of Catholic parochial schools in order to preserve the “wall of separation” between church and state. The corner grocer didn’t care whether a customer was gay or had been born again. Textbooks were not reviewed by religious committees for conformity with the King James Version. No serious person had yet suggested that insentient, artificial commercial entities could magically channel the religious beliefs of their shareholders. And no one complained that a war was being waged against religion.
But following some of the events at this year’s Values Voter Summit, I have become nostalgic for 1951.
The Summit is the premiere annual political event for conservative Christian evangelicals, and making an appearance has become almost a required pilgrimage for Republican presidential candidates who desire the support of the religious right base of the party. Those in attendance this year heard many of the usual rants against same-sex marriage, abortion and the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act. However, those concerns did not top the priority list. Instead, a 39% plurality of those polled at the conference believe that the most important issue facing the country today is religious liberty.
So how is this possible? The past 30 years have seen an explosion in government support of religion. Millions of dollars in public funds are provided to a variety of so-called “faith-based” programs. Taxpayers support charter schools with decidedly sectarian curricula all across the country. A number of states provide tax credits to enable parents to send their children to religious schools. Religious institutions and, after Hobby Lobby, for-profit businesses as well, have been granted exemptions from compliance with portions of the ACA. This is in addition to the exemptions from anti-discrimination legislation which religious institutions already enjoy in their hiring and firing practices. Religious groups distribute bibles in public schools and operate after-school programs on school property to proselytize grammar school children. The Town of Greece decision now permits governments to schedule ceremonial prayer in accordance with local majoritarian religious preferences. Most rational people would agree that freedom of religion and religious expression are hardly at risk.
The comments of several of the event speakers may furnish us a clue. Kelly Shackelford of the Liberty Institute repeated the false story of the child disciplined for saying grace before eating her lunch. Michele Bachmann reminded the audience that the battle against Islamic terrorism is “spiritual warfare.” Gary Bauer accused President Obama of protecting Muslims while ignoring the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. Jason and David Benham, whose proposed television program on HGTV was cancelled after revelations of their virulently anti-gay activities, compared themselves to victims of ISIS, silenced for their Christian beliefs. And Sen. Ted Cruz, who for the second year in a row won the presidential straw poll, intoned “We need a president who will speak out for people of faith, for prisoners of conscience.” So for the attendees at the Values Voter Summit, there is indeed a war on Christianity. It is being waged by Muslims and by those who object to intolerance.
But the whole story is really darker. When members of the Christian right speak of freedom of religion, what they mean is freedom for a particular brand of conservative Christianity. Tony Perkins is the president of the Family Research Council, the principal sponsor of the annual Summit. He is neither a legal scholar nor a theologian, but that does not matter. In Mr. Perkins’ view, religious freedom does not apply to Islam. It also does not apply to Christians who support gay rights. In fact, religious liberty is reserved solely for those holding “orthodox religious viewpoints. It has to have a track record, it has to come forth from religious orthodoxy.” Mr. Perkins’ First Amendment does not compel government neutrality toward religion; it requires preferential treatment for those Christian sects whose doctrines adhere to Mr, Perkins’ notion of orthodoxy. He is a theocratic dominionist in religious liberty’s clothing.
And that, in a nutshell, is what the war on religion in America is all about. It is a war declared by Christian fundamentalists on all religious traditions deemed non-conforming. The goal is a society in which separation of church and state is eliminated and religious pluralism rejected as unbiblical. Ted Cruz is merely the latest last hope for the hapless.
maxcat – I was writing while you two wandered into football again and messed up my comment which was in reference to yesterday’s extended football comments while I was being criticized for discussing Mormons. My apologies to you on today’s abbreviated comments.
Doc –
Sorry, it was one brief baseball reference.
Funny thing: My most recent comments seem to have disappeared into the aether…
It make me laugh out loud Docmadison.
My goodness! Just WHO is doing the whining? I posted a fun song just made to make people smile. It was about Mormons who have played an important role in American HISTORY and in our religious life.
It’s not as if I posted 20 comments about football.
DBQ –
I live in an old historic district, but the houses are pretty close together. Halloween is amazing – I never have any candy left. I think they bus kids in from other towns!
@ docmadison
That is a good point. The distance between houses. No one wants to come walking up or driving up my driveway. This is a good thing for Halloween. I buy the candy and darn…..no kids come up the long dark tree covered driveway….I guess I’ll have to eat those Reeses Peanut Butter Cups myself. What a sacrifice.
Actually girls have been going on missions for some time. One of my daughter’s friends back in high school went on a mission to NYC. She worked in a medical clinic for underprivileged (aka poor) people in the city. I suppose she was supposed to convert people or whatever, but what she really did was be an unpaid lowly intern/nurse type of person. I think she was so tired and nauseated that she didn’t have time to be converting anyone.
Even so. I see nothing nefarious in those who have a true belief in their religion trying to spread the ‘word’. As long as you can give a polite, no thanks and they go away nicely, which they almost always do, it isn’t any problem. I actually admire someone with the courage of their convictions.
Doc, I guess they never heard of Mormon missions. I wonder how many of these uninformed people voted for Romney?
maxcat, You need to comment here more often. A cheesehead tossed the first no no for your Nat’s. But, you know that.
Nick –
I not only know that, but I could barely get to bed last night (well, a slight exaggeration). What a beauty of a game that was, up until, and certainly including that astounding catch by Sousa. I have World Series hopes dancing in my head.
Dusty – I suggest you don’t have Mormons ringing your doorbell because there are (by your own account) 4,883 miles between your house and the next. Mormons seek greater ‘returns’ than 1 convert per 42 days of ringing doorbells.
The lack of knowledge regarding Mormon missions is pretty astounding. The 2012 Republican candidate for president was a Mormon and part of his history (a subject whose importance was pointed out to us several times today) was his Mormon mission in Paris during the Vietnam War. Some classed his mission as exempting him from the draft.
BTW. Mormon women have just been allowed to go on a mission. I’ve read that Elizabeth Smart was able to go on a mission.
The problem is zealotry. Just as the aforementioned 11/3/13 post by David Drumm inadvertently showed the zealotry of atheists, there are religious zealots. Communists were atheistic zealots that murdered 100 million people. We get bogged down w/ Mormons knocking on doors. OK!! Mormons knock on doors!! I get it! I just have never had one do it and didn’t know it was part of their routine. I’m obviously a stupid idiot for not knowing that. I will do a Stuart Smalley daily affirmation and try and get back some self esteem. It can get so frakin’ petty, whiny, victimhood here.
@ docmadison
I do believe that there was a musical called Book of Mormon. I didn’t doubt you 🙂 I’ve also seen the Music Man and Cabaret as well as Chicago.
Again was in the world do the two blog posts referenced @5:41 have to do with the subject matter of this blog post??
Thank you maxcat…..I also have values. Good ones I believe. They may not be the ones taught in certain religious sects or held by certain parts of the political spectrum. I don’t always agree with those “values” but that doesn’t mean that people can’t truly believe in values that I don’t have.
It is again. What a person perceives as truth, may not actually BE the truth, but because they believe it…..it is true to them. Part of a good debate or intelligent discussion is to try to show your own side of the truth and perhaps persuade someone to think about it and possibly consider that your truth has some truth as well.
When you are discussing with a person who has a closed mind and only seeks to score gotcha points, there really isn’t much worth in spending time on that person.
Old saying: “Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.”
@DBQ –
Thanks! That’s why I do get worried when a particular “worldview” starts advocating for supremacy, be it Christian, Muslim or what ever else.
I have some friends of all denominations, including Atheist. I don’t find the
moral spectrum to be that different.
For Nick and Dusty
Maybe it is just me but it seems that Professor Turley’s photo avatar looks a just a bit more irritated each time he has to show up in the comment section.
MaMa, You are worth your weight in gold. I take comfort when you’re here. And, I know reading much on this blog prior to commenting was important in helping you understand the dynamics. I see new commenters who have no frame of reference when some long for the “Good Ol’ Days.” You can’t know where you’re headed if you don’t know from whence you came. That’s a paraphrase.
@NickS
I am glad you liked it! Every time I see Prof. Turley’s picture on the comments list, I think, “Holy Crap! What did I say this time???” So far though, I have only been publicly spanked once. I had it coming though, so I can’t complain.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
@ docmadison
I live in an area where there are many Mormons. I’ve never ever had a person from the Mormon church approach my door. Jehovah’s witnesses do quite often. But never a Mormon.
As to “values” voters. My sense is that they are really a small part of the mix of conservative voters and a segment that doesn’t have the power that some are ascribing to them.
I actually sort of resent the term “values voters” as if other voters who are conservatives but not so interested in social issues DON’T have values. I also resent being lumped in as a conservative thinker with the religious fundamentalists. Bigotry is when you place all persons of a perceived group into one mental box…..be it blacks, hispanics, liberals or conservatives. Try not to be bigots and recognize that there are all sorts of gradations in thinking and in the political spectrum.
DBQ
I’m surprised at the number of folks who have never had Mormons come to their doors. They have, I believe, 2 year “missions” during which they go out into communities, either in the U.S. or abroad, with the stated goal of conversion. It’s generally 2 young men, always very polite, but rather insistent if you see at all interested or ready to give an inch to being inclined to listen to them. It’s actually fascinating.
I, too, dislike the “values voters” term. I was taught values, and practice them today, although I attend no church, mosque nor synagogue. I was also taught morals, more so at home than in any religious context. That’s why I find it absurd to be told that I have none, nor do I have rational ideas when I’ve managed to live 63 years on this planet, often among many who share my morals and ideas. I live in Georgia presently, and can still find many who believe in the “socialist” ideas of my youth.
maxcat06 wrote: “I’m surprised at the number of folks who have never had Mormons come to their doors. They have, I believe, 2 year “missions” during which they go out into communities, either in the U.S. or abroad, with the stated goal of conversion. It’s generally 2 young men… ”
I am surprised too, as well as surprised that people are so offended by the approach of a neighbor knocking on their door. Mormons are more frequent door knockers here than Jehovah Witnesses, but they both make the rounds. Mormons are easy to spot as two young men dressed in white dress shirts and black pants riding bicycles.
If I have time, I invite them in for a philosophical discussion. I always like to ask why they have a name tag saying “Elder” when they are so young. Don’t they know what the word means? Shouldn’t it cause them to question their religion that they are ordained elders at such a young age? I start there before I dig into the smoking gun of the Book of Abraham and how Joseph Smith was a fraud. The Book of Abraham were Egyptian funeral documents that Joseph Smith claimed to be able to translate. This was before the Rosetta Stone was discovered and nobody knew how to read Egyptian. Now that Egyptian can be translated, we know exactly what those funeral documents were saying, and it isn’t what Joseph Smith claimed they were saying.
Dust Bunny Queen: While I agree that those who attend the inaptly-named Values Voter Summit are not numerous, they are the tribunes who return to their various precincts and spread the word of what they’ve heard the various almost-universally ultra-conservative speakers spew. In a sense, the VVS mostly serves to reaffirm the religiio-conservative beliefs of the attendees, but those folks will be talking to their fellow Republicans and holding forth on blogs and even actual “news” sites when they return home. I’m well aware of this, since I receive daily emails from at least a dozen religious/conservative people and organizations, and pretty much everything that’s said at the VVS winds up in those in fairly short order.
markkernes, I retrieved your comment at 6:45.
Squeeky LOL!! Humor is so important, particularly @ a time like this.
@MamaM
Moar Irish Poems??? I’ll try!
Comments Mince Of Hostilities???
An Irish Poem by Squeeky Fromm
Some people are really conceited,
And like to complain they’re mistreated.
When, for dumb childish rants,
Turley pulls down their pants,
And spanks them with “Comment Deleted!”
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter