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Friday, November 4, 2011

Religious Extremists and Why the GOP must be defeated

The United States of America was founded by people fleeing the religious persecution of the Government-Supported Church of England.  The Founders wrote protections from such abuses - by any religion - into our Constitution.

Religious Extremists have been fighting to destroy the constitution ever since.  Somehow they feel persecuted because they are prohibited from persecuting other religions - or the not-religious.

  • 1776 The USA Founded
  • 1782 The Motto "E Pluribus Unum" as official motto of U.S.
      Meaning : "Out of Many, One."  A very inclusive and unifying motto.
  • 1795 "E Pluribus Unum" put on U.S. Coins
  • 1862 First Paper Money printed in U.S.
  • 1864 "In God We Trust" added to U.S. Coins
      Religious response to the Civil War - a prime example of the Shock Doctrine.
  • 1892 Pledge of Allegiance written :
    "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." 
  • 1923 Pledge altered to specify "the flag of the United States of America"
      Original author objects.
  • 1954 "Under God" added to the Pledge of Allegiance
      Original author's daughter objects on his behalf.
      Religious response to the Communist threat - another Shock Doctrine moment.
  • 1956 "In God We Trust" adopted as official U.S. Motto
      A very divisive motto, potentially unconstitutional.
  • 1957 "In God We Trust" added to paper money
We can see an 88 year period of the United States as the (even very religious) Founders intended - a secular government with no religious bias.  Then the seditious attacks begin to succeed.  Now, the Religious Reich(1) talk as though the pledge always included "under god" and the motto was always "in god we trust." Even though it was officially "E Pluribus Unum" for the first 180 years of our country.

Our Democratic Republic has been under constant attack from the extremists of the Religious Reich on one side and the Corporatists on the other.  They are winning.  It is time we gather and fight back. It is time we bring Unity of Many instead of Preference to the Right Religion back to the forefront of politics.

I am not suggesting an end to religions, far from it.  I want religious bias out of government.  I want corporate money and influence out of government.  I want people to be free to express their religious beliefs without fear of persecution - no matter what their religion is.  I want politics to be free of the defacto requirement to support the right religion or religiously motivated policies.  I want people who are not millionaires, people who know what is going on it the real economy, people who are atheists or pagans, to be able to get elected to office! I want law and religion to be kept very, very far apart.

If you can find examples of where religion is taking over government, please post links to articles!

Here are some that prompted this blog post :

"Personhood" amendments, which seek to establish religious beliefs as law.
Defense of Marriage act - A few articles to link to on this one. Another religion as law item.
Presidential candidates pushed by religious zealots based on religion.
Michigan's Anti-Bullying law protects 'religiously motivated' bullying.


Oh, yeah... why the GOP must be defeated.  While the Religious and Corporatists are not exclusive to the GOP, they are most at home there and it is the GOP that is pushing the hardest for the most extreme ideas and ideals of the Religious Reich and the Corporations.

Sources :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_God_We_Trust
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0774850.html
http://www.ushistory.org/documents/pledge.htm
http://coins.about.com/od/uscoins/f/e_pluribus_unum.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_national_motto
http://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_mott.htm
http://www.nobeliefs.com/facts.htm

(1) - Religious Reich : The extremists of the extreme Religious Right.  Those individuals and beliefs that make the Religious Right exclaim, "They are too extreme."

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