It's Time for the Christian Right to Back Off.
It was religious
persecution that drove settlers from Europe to the British North American
Colonies in the seventeenth century which sprang from the conviction held by
Protestant and Catholic alike, that uniformity of religion must exist in any
given society. This conviction rested on
the belief that there was one true religion and that it was the duty of the
civil authorities to impose it, forcibly if necessary, in the interest of
saving the souls of all citizens. Nonconformists could expect no mercy and
might be executed as heretics. The
dominance of the concept, denounced by Roger Williams as "enforced
uniformity of religion," meant majority religious groups who controlled
political power punished dissenters in their midst. In some areas Catholics
persecuted Protestants, in others Protestants persecuted Catholics, and in
still others Catholics and Protestants persecuted wayward coreligionists.
Some settlers came to the American Colonies to establish their
“holy experiment” to worship as they deem proper, others came to settlements as
purely commercial ventures, led by “militant Protestants” who worked diligently
to promote the prosperity of “The Church”.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel01.html
Even though our colonies were founded on Christian values and
were a “Religious Refuge” our government was not founded on the Christian
Religion, that is to say that,
America is not a Christian theocracy, or a state where the church has political
power, as the religious authorities in other nations have power -- which is
something no one argues for America and yet here in the 21st Century
we are dangerously close to the same persecutions from the “Christian Right” as
they were in the old country (Europe).
It's Time for the Christian Right to Back Off.
Fortunately
for us on December 15, 1791 our founding fathers ratified the “Bill Of
Rights”. THE Conventions of a number of the
States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a
desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that
further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as
extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure
the beneficent ends of its institution. (my emphasis added).
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
So, to the “Right Wing Religious Zealots”, it’s time to BACK OFF. The First Amendment gives me and every other person in these United States the “RIGHT” to our own religious beliefs and values, free from your persecution, restrictions and “ENFORCED UNIFORMITY OF RELIGION”. Religion does not belong in our public schools or our children’s text books (TEXAS), religion belongs in private religious schools and churches. Religion does not belong in our courts, swearing an oath on the Bible in court has no place in courts where religion it’s self is persecuted when your religious values and beliefs come under fire if they don’t conform to someone else's religious beliefs or values. Religion does not belong in our government whether local, state or federal, there is no religious test to hold public office and laws should not be based on ANY one person’s religious beliefs or values that effect this country as a whole as we are free to believe as we will. According to the “Bill Of Rights” and the Constitution; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. That includes our “Religious Freedom”.
References: [1]Foster, John, John Fox, Matthew Taylor,
David Böecklin, Mathias Tanner and J. Luyken. “America as a Religious Refuge:
The Seventeenth Century, Part 1 - Religion and the Founding of the American
Republic | Exhibitions - Library of Congress.” Web page, June 4, 1998.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel01.html.
Jefferson,
Thomas, Roger Williams, William Penn, Ernest Von Hesse Wartegg, David Cranz, G.
G. Heinsch, Father Andrew White, and James Barr. “America as a Religious
Refuge: The Seventeenth Century, Part 2 - Religion and the Founding of the
American Republic | Exhibitions - Library of Congress.” Web page, June 4, 1998.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel01-2.html
[1]
John Foster et al., “America as
a Religious Refuge: The Seventeenth Century, Part 1 - Religion and the Founding
of the American Republic | Exhibitions - Library of Congress,” web page, June
4, 1998, http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel01.html.
