Can someone please explain to me why on earth we have a Government-sanctioned National Prayer Breakfast? I'm sorry people, but this is just plain wrong.
When I sat down to write this, my intent was to discuss why the President should not be attending such an event in his official capacity. But when I did a little research, what I found was even more appalling. While "officially" this event (actually a week-long series of events) is sponsored by The Fellowship Foundation (aka, The Family -- more on that later), but it is hosted by members of Congress!!!! Yeah, that's right: your elected representatives are hosting a big ol' Christian meetin'. Separation of church and state, anyone?
Not to mention that your tax dollars surely pay for, at a minimum, their time/salaries to attend these functions. If Christian conservatives can suppress women's rights by refusing to allow taxpayer dollars to pay for birth control, abortion, and other reproductive services, then can we demand that they also don't pay for events that clearly violate separation of church and state? That elevate the status of one religion to that of State Religion, even if unofficially?
I really wanted to say that the Prayer Breakfast would be ok if it were non-sectarian and celebrated all religions -- but it's not. There is no way that ANY religious ANYTHING should be sponsored or endorsed by the Government. And yes, that includes the White House Christmas tree. (Call me a Grinch, but I'm sure Thomas Jefferson agrees).
As if all this weren't bad enough, it is sponsored by THE FAMILY. Forget DaVinci Code - this is the real secret society that runs our politics. Anyone wanting to know more should read Jeff Sharlet's frightening true tale, "The Family" (handy link: http://www.amazon.com/Family-Secret-Fundamentalism-Heart-American/dp/0060560053/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296925694&sr=1-1).
I can't believe I'm about to make a Dirty Dancing reference, but here goes. There's a scene towards the end of the movie wherein Baby says to her father, "You always said I could grow up to be anything I wanted. But you really meant someone like you." (or something to that effect) Such is religious freedom in the U.S. -- we are free to practice whatever we want, as long as it's Christian. We are free to express our "values" and maybe even have them reflected in politics -- as long as they are Christian. Separation of Church and State absolutely applies, unless you're talking about Christianity. Because of course, we are a Christian nation! (Not.)
I won't go into the whole argument about the Founders being Christian versus Deist -- you can go google it if you want to kick that dead horse. Even if they were died-in-the-wool, fundamentalist Christians, the fact remains that they established a country firmly based on a foundation of secular government. Got that people? S-e-c-u-l-a-r. It means we should be free of having "Christian values" shoved down our throats by our elected officials, that we shouldn't have a single law based on them, that if the Muslims want to turn an old coat factory into a community center, they should be allowed to.
I am really, really tired of hearing these bigots, closet gays, immoral and corrupt people telling us about Christian values. My heathen children, who have never set foot in a Church, hold more Christian values then any of these hypocrites. Caring for each other is the ultimate Christian value, and time and again the GOP shows irrefutably that this holds no place in their politics.
But I digress. Just as it would be inappropriate for our President to publicly preach about Jesus or the Bible, so it is inappropriate for him to attend the Prayer Breakfast in an official capacity. Ditto for any elected officials. If they want to participate on their own time (and dime), then of course they should be free to do so. But to attend as the President? To post it on the White House website? To use taxpayer dollars in any way? If the Founders are watching any of this, they must surely think they have gone to Hell.
First not sure who wrote this but he doesn't know his history. No where in the US Constitution does it say there should be a separation of Church and State. It does say it in the Communist Manifesto however. Next the first start to people believing there was such a clause started in the 1940's when an Jewish ACLU Lawyer used a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to a friend. The ACLU introduced this into the court system. Through the years there has been many court decisions that have been for or against this fact. Should we have a National Prayer Breakfast, I would say yes if all denominations can attend which they can. Would Thomas Jefferson attend and the other founding fathers, without a doubt. Oh by the way President Jefferson had two additional jobs while President: (1) Head of the School
ReplyDeleteBoard in Washington, DC and (2) he taught Sunday School in Washington every Sunday. History can tell you a lot when you really know about it!! Colonel Ron Williams, US ARMY (Ret)
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." While the WORDS 'separation of church and state' do not appear here, their meaning and intent do. The INTENT of the founders was that these two entities should be separate. It's the only way to ensure religious freedom and that a nation is founded on civil law (as opposed to the biblical kind).
ReplyDeleteSecond, as to Jefferson's extracurricular activies, I believe I said our elected officials could and should be allowed to participate in any such things if they chose -- but not in an official capacity. I doubt Jefferson's Sunday School was part of his Presdiential duty roster.
I also said that I have debated myself over whether we should have a National Prayer Breakfast if all religions (not just denominations, which implies only one religion) were included. While that is the only way this could ever be fair, I have come to the conclusion that it is still not appropriate as a government-sponsored event.
And by the way, the fact that an ACLU lawyer was Jewish is beside the point. The Existentialist Manifesto does not tolerate hate speech and requests that you refrain from such comments in the future.
ReplyDeleteDawgman, it is that letter by Thomas Jefferson that explains his very intent in the First Amendment. He couldn't envision every twist that followers of religion would take trying to legislate their particular flavor of Christianity. In the letter to the Danbury Baptists he explained what he meant by "Congress shall make no laws...," because he believed "that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God."
ReplyDeleteI know I would certainly like to be in his Sunday School class, being that he most like taught from his vversion of the Bible, without all the supernatural miracles and such.
Also, the ACLU has protected peoples' right to practice their religion - ANY religion - including defending students' rights to pray in school or to hand out candy canes with messages about Jesus tied to them.
Stay tuned, interested readers. This is spawning a new post...as soon as I have time to finish my research on Supreme Court case law and the legal explanation of what "establishment" means.
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