Religious Freedom or Theocracy?
Some of us sleepy Americans will go to their assigned voting stations tomorrow. We will be thinking about the things that matter to us individually. Some will have a good time throwing their lot in with the one's whom they believe most closely fit their own agendas. Others will be angry and militant when they vote; possibly thinking the bubbles they fill in will somehow be darker than the bubbles of their enemies (any opposing voice).
Some will vote filled with fear that one of their guaranteed freedoms might be at stake. In my experience, the greatest fear factories are the churches, and certain "news" outlets. For some reason there is a message getting out there that is making people truly afraid that our country will be swallowed up by atheist hippies if the incumbent wins. I have said before, and again; eight years is not long enough to do anything like that to this country. Plus those people are supposing (even though formally debunked) that our President is a foreigner, a Muslim, and a gangster of mafioso proportions who is bent on the dismantling of us. A skimming of his books will tell you otherwise; but those books might be banned if you subscribe to the evangelical right.
Regardless, our President is not going to close any churches or media outlets, ever. Why? Because he is an American just like us. His opponent is also an American just like us. Neither of them will be making too many life-changing policies; it doesn't work that way.
I read this morning that Obama's opponent's vp pick is going around saying things like this, "a path that grows government, restricts freedom and liberty and compromises those values -- those Judeo-Christian, Western civilization values that made us a great and exceptional nation in the first place."
I wasn't surprised by this comment, but I see a few red flags that voters should recognize. First of all, very few want a Theocracy; not Mormon, Christian, or any other religion. I doubt that the young man wants that either; although, if unchecked he could could certainly begin clearing an avalanche with a teaspoon where religion and legislation are concerned.
I offer this man a challenge: walk through the capitol building and look around. Oh, wait, he does this regularly because he works there. Walk through with your eyes open and ask yourself, "How could I ever say that this country belongs to one religious group over another?" If that doesn't work, look at the direct conflict between Christianity and Greek Mythology. Next, read some history on our founding fathers. They were not a bunch of super religious zealots. They were visionaries.
Our pledge uses the word "indivisible". Is the GOP divisive? Yes. Are the voices of the right divisive? Yes. The pledge also contains the word "god". Was this written to mean that our government should be run by the Judeo-Christian God, or is it a broad, general idea of a higher power?
Tomorrow, we need to open our eyes to what we the people need to attain peace both domestically and globally. We need to seriously consider whether or not this country needs to let the time-machine possessors take us back to the policies that have failed or have been overcome time and again. Women; think about the rights you possess. Think about your body, and how it pertains to government. Men; consider your wife. Christians; decide if you are tolerant and accepting of the diversity of this nation, or ride the GOP time-machine back to a fictitious time where your's were the only ideas that mattered.
How about the poor? Is slashing programs for the poor really a Christian value? Is all the greed lining up with your religion? I don't think so.
No matter how you vote, keep these questions in mind. Let's discover what "realpolitik" means, and vote for those reasons. Not because of your superiority, not because of your religion; but what will help all of us as a whole, dare I say, "melting pot" of a country.
Some will vote filled with fear that one of their guaranteed freedoms might be at stake. In my experience, the greatest fear factories are the churches, and certain "news" outlets. For some reason there is a message getting out there that is making people truly afraid that our country will be swallowed up by atheist hippies if the incumbent wins. I have said before, and again; eight years is not long enough to do anything like that to this country. Plus those people are supposing (even though formally debunked) that our President is a foreigner, a Muslim, and a gangster of mafioso proportions who is bent on the dismantling of us. A skimming of his books will tell you otherwise; but those books might be banned if you subscribe to the evangelical right.
Regardless, our President is not going to close any churches or media outlets, ever. Why? Because he is an American just like us. His opponent is also an American just like us. Neither of them will be making too many life-changing policies; it doesn't work that way.
I read this morning that Obama's opponent's vp pick is going around saying things like this, "a path that grows government, restricts freedom and liberty and compromises those values -- those Judeo-Christian, Western civilization values that made us a great and exceptional nation in the first place."
I wasn't surprised by this comment, but I see a few red flags that voters should recognize. First of all, very few want a Theocracy; not Mormon, Christian, or any other religion. I doubt that the young man wants that either; although, if unchecked he could could certainly begin clearing an avalanche with a teaspoon where religion and legislation are concerned.
I offer this man a challenge: walk through the capitol building and look around. Oh, wait, he does this regularly because he works there. Walk through with your eyes open and ask yourself, "How could I ever say that this country belongs to one religious group over another?" If that doesn't work, look at the direct conflict between Christianity and Greek Mythology. Next, read some history on our founding fathers. They were not a bunch of super religious zealots. They were visionaries.
Our pledge uses the word "indivisible". Is the GOP divisive? Yes. Are the voices of the right divisive? Yes. The pledge also contains the word "god". Was this written to mean that our government should be run by the Judeo-Christian God, or is it a broad, general idea of a higher power?
Tomorrow, we need to open our eyes to what we the people need to attain peace both domestically and globally. We need to seriously consider whether or not this country needs to let the time-machine possessors take us back to the policies that have failed or have been overcome time and again. Women; think about the rights you possess. Think about your body, and how it pertains to government. Men; consider your wife. Christians; decide if you are tolerant and accepting of the diversity of this nation, or ride the GOP time-machine back to a fictitious time where your's were the only ideas that mattered.
How about the poor? Is slashing programs for the poor really a Christian value? Is all the greed lining up with your religion? I don't think so.
No matter how you vote, keep these questions in mind. Let's discover what "realpolitik" means, and vote for those reasons. Not because of your superiority, not because of your religion; but what will help all of us as a whole, dare I say, "melting pot" of a country.
Amen!
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