America For Purchase

When Europeans landed on the shores of these United States, they came, in part to escape religious oppression and beliefs forced by state-affiliated Christian churches such as the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England.  The idea of the new democracy was to separate church and state and allow the freedom to practice one’s faith, or not, without fear of persecution, and was guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”Further, the ‘establishment of religion’ clause of the First Amendment means at least this: neither a state nor the Federal Government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another. Neither can force nor influence a person to go to or remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion.” U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, majority opinion; Everson v. Board of Education 330 U.S. 1 (1947)

Although some were, the majority of the founding fathers were not Christians, but Deists, meaning they thought the universe had a creator, but that he does not concern himself with the daily lives of humans, and does not directly communicate with humans, either by revelation or by sacred books. The founding fathers spoke often of God, (Nature’s God or the God of Nature), but this was not the God of the bible. They did not deny that there was a person called Jesus, and praised him for his benevolent teachings, but they flatly denied his divinity.

“I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature.  Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burned, tortured, fined, and imprisoned, yet we have not advanced one inch toward uniformity.  What has been the effect of coercion?  To make half the world fools and the other half hypocrites.” Thomas Jefferson

Thus begins the Genesis of the myriad of walls created by some American ‘Christians’ and the attempt by many ‘religious’ people to re-write American history. These are not physical walls as was the Berlin Wall constructed in 1961 as a barrier to separate West Germany democracy from East Germany communism, but none-the-less they are as real.  These are intangible walls, which are higher and more diverse than simply separating two societies.

Religion in America is as diverse as any found on earth; Christianity, Islam, Judaism along with those who belong to no organized religion such as Atheists or Agnostics.

Wall 1 Re-writing History: The Religious Right has grown in past decades.  This is a wall of exclusion. On the right side are groups who re-write history, claiming they want this country to “return to the Christian principles on which it was founded”, yet they knowingly distort history for their own political gain, and their dishonesty demonstrates their lack of morality in truth telling.

“A man compounded of law and gospel, is able to cheat a whole country, with his religion, and then destroy them under colour of law.” Benjamin Franklin July 23, 1777

Wall 2 Justifying Slavery: In the 17^th Century, Christians were using the Bible to justify slavery. “The right of holding slaves is clearly established in the Holy Scriptures, both by precept and example.“ Rev. R. Furman, D.D., a Baptist pastor from South Carolina.

“[Slavery] was established by decree of Almighty God…it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation…it has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highest proficiency in the arts.” Jefferson Davis, Confederate States of America.

The idea of controlling others by using ‘religion’ is as old as this country.  The South, the so called “Bible Belt” appealed to the Bible to justify slavery. Remember that the Southern Baptists churches got their start in the 1840’s precisely over the issue of slavery. Preachers quoted Eph 6:5 to support slavery.

There has been no more organized effort by a religion to control people and contain their spirituality than the Christian Inquisition which began in the 1500’s. Developed within the Church’s own legal framework, the Inquisition attempted to terrify people into obedience. As the Inquisitor Francesco Pena stated in 1578, “We must remember that the main purpose of the trial and execution is not to save the soul of the accused but to achieve the public good and put fear into others.” The Inquisition took countless human lives in Europe and around the world as it followed in the wake of missionaries. And along with the tyranny of the Inquisition, churchmen also brought religious justification for the practice of slavery. This same form of slavery and bigotry is alive today.

Wall 3 Fighting Interracial Marriage: In 1967, the Supreme Court ruled in Loving v. Virginia that states could not outlaw interracial marriage. The primary ‘religious’ opponents of interracial marriage cited the Bible in support of their prejudice again using the Bible to justify their prejudice.

‘Christian’ zealots’ called interracial marriage an “abomination” that threatened to “pollute” America. Many prominent preachers and politicians over the decades, seeing themselves as well-grounded in Christian doctrine, described interracial marriage in the harshest, most hateful terms. A senator said of interracial marriage that “natural instinct revolts at it as wrong.” A U.S. representative said that interracial marriage “necessarily involves (the) degradation” of conventional marriage. Other politicians argued that it was a “calamity” which would lead to unrestrained immorality, sterile children, widespread male effeminacy, and many other social ills.

Wall 4 Mormon Murders: Who can forget the Mormon Massacre of 1857? “The Mountain Meadows Massacre stands without a parallel amongst the crimes that stain the pages of American history. It was a crime committed without cause or justification of any kind to relieve it of its fearful character. When nearly exhausted men, women and children sought solace to rest from their wagon train travels to the West traveling from Arkansas, through Utah, and on to California. They were approached by white men, some deceitfully dressed as Southern Paiute Indians, waiving a flag of truce at the wagon trail, who then induced the travelers to surrender their arms, under the most solemn promises of protection. They were then systematically murdered in cold blood by professed ‘Christian’ Mormons following the orders of Brigham Young who said “If any miserable scoundrels come here, cut their throats.”

Wall 5 Demonizing Homosexuality: In the 21^st century, this exact, identical rhetoric is being used again.  Having lost the ‘Christian’ war for slavery and interracial marriage, the latest target is against ‘homosexuals’, using the same fear mongering, same scriptures, same threats, same demonization as used in the past.  Christian zealots focus more of their time, money and resources than addressing the ‘needs’ of the members of their own churches.

Consider money from the same ‘religious’ organizations who committed crimes and atrocities against Americans who did not support their ‘political agenda’ being spent on what should be a civil rights issue, not a ‘Christian’ issue:

• $1.275 million contributed by Protect Marriage largest donor, the Knights of Columbus, the Connecticut-based political arm of the Catholic Church.
• Donations supporting Proposition 8 in California from Focus on the Family, one of its major benefactors and an offshoot lobbying organization totaled more than $1.251 million.
• The Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council, a Christian-right lobbying organization spun off from Focus on the Family and founded in part by Prince’s foundation, chipped in $74,400.
• Elsa Prince, the billionaire heiress of Holland, Michigan, who is also the mother of Erik Prince who is the founder and CEO of Blackwater Worldwide, the controversial private security firm with annual contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan, contributed $450,000 to Protect Marriage.

The Ugandan parliament is currently considering an “Anti-Homosexuality Bill,” under which any person “convicted of gay sex is liable to life imprisonment.”  The author of the bill is Ugandan Parliamentarian David Bahati, who organizes the Ugandan National Prayer Breakfast who is supported by Rick Warren, Pastor of the Saddleback Church and who refuses to condemn this genocide. Uganda pastors have welcomed Rick Warren who has made appearances at their churches.  This is another ‘mantra’ of the ‘Christian’ right which is directly related to the Christian Inquisition of the 1500’s.

Wall 5 Opposing Health Care: The ‘Christian’ right adamantly opposes health care reform for Americans, even though 45,000 die annually, 222 a month, due to lack of access or affordable health insurance.  This is ‘Christian’ compassion at its best.  Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the Christian organization the Freedom Federation, Gary Bauer, who heads American Values and others are campaigning against the ‘people’ including people who diligently give them money to represent them.

In support of the ‘Christian’ right is the Catholic Church who also opposes the health and well being of its members and all Americans.  The church has not been successful at this kind of political blackmail since the 1930s and 1940s, when it fought a long, highly successful battle against birth control at both the state and national level, a battle that, like the current battle over abortion, left well-off women free to do what they wanted and denied reproductive choice to the poor. And when anyone criticizes the church hierarchy for its actions on this or any other political front, the bishops cry “anti-Catholic.”

Wall 6 Blackmail Using Tax Dollars: The Catholic Charities organization receives about 75% of its funding from federal and state tax dollars providing charity to the needy. Recently the Catholic Church is attempting to blackmail state agencies if the states to not allow them to discriminate against taxpayer that does not follow the Catholic ‘teachings.’ They are now holding hostage the poor people and kids over marriage equality, which is a civil matter, not a religious issue, especially since tax dollars are providing the funding.

Wall 7 Justifying Hate: After the horrific acts of terrorists on America, ‘Christian’ leaders Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell immediately began a similar attack on Americans blaming the cause on the “ACLU, abortionists, the Supreme Court, pagans, feminists, and the gays and the lesbians.” This is another attempt at dividing, judging, blaming and discriminating against anyone who did not ‘believe’ as they do.

Wall 8 Do As I Say: The ‘Christian’ right is obsessed with telling Americans what they can and cannot do, even as they ignore the same selective Biblical principles for themselves. As they speak out against gays, Paul Crouch, President of TBN, had a homosexual affair; Evangelist Ted Haggard had a homosexual affair along with using drugs. There are the politicians,  Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina, Senator John Ensign of Nevada, and former Arkansas Congressman Chip Pickering, all members of the secretive C Street where men put themselves above God. There is Newt Gingrich, Louisiana Sen. David Vitter and a host of others who ‘profess Christian morality’ but demonstrate their blatant hypocrisy as they judge everyone else while opposing the civil rights of other Americans.

Summary: “Religious institutions that use government power in support of themselves and force their view on persons of other faiths, or of no faith, undermine all our civil rights.” Thomas Jefferson 1808.

Today, one in five Americans is unemployed, underemployed or just plain out of work. One in nine families can’t make the minimum payment on their credit cards. One in eight mortgages is in default or foreclosure. One in eight Americans is on food stamps. More than 120,000 families are filing for bankruptcy every month. The economic crisis has wiped more than $5 trillion from pensions and savings, has left family balance sheets upside down, and threatens to put ten million homeowners out on the street.

America is number one in billionaires in the world and 18 percent of all children 17 and younger were living in poverty in 2007, and one in 5 of America’s elderly live in poverty. America is, at least today, unequal in wealth distribution and number one with big homes with 22 out of every 10,000 people being homeless in America, about 3.5 million; America is number one in CEO pay and inequality of pay.

Most of America is silent about the ‘Christian’ walls being erected over the past two hundred years.  While organized religion has failed families with the divorce rate over 50%, the growing number of orphaned children growing in this country, and their outcries against abortion.  The priorities of the ‘Christian’ right are all screwed up!  They care more about the unborn than the living; they care more about their ‘Christian’ agenda than their fellow man, they support the murder of homosexuals in Uganda and give early release to felons who go out and murder police officers. They spend their money on the intangible rather than the tangible in feeding the hungry, helping the poor and homeless. Their own morality is proof these people are truly immoral.

I do believe the majority of Christians, Mormons, and Catholics do not support their agenda, propaganda and rhetoric of the walls built by the ‘Christian’ right in America; I also believe it is past time for the silent voices to stand up, challenge and speak out against them.

Americans must realize that not all enemies are in some distant land, or have names we do not know, or cultures we do not understand. The enemy is a ‘religious’ system that wages war when it is profitable using the cause of ‘Christianity’ to interpret the U.S. Constitution, waging well funded wars against civil rights, human rights, health care, homelessness and poverty. The enemy is not 5000 miles away, they are right here at home waving a cross, worshiping the Holy Mother, or singing in the Mormon Church.

I have an innate belief that Americans support the separation of church and state, as it should be.  The American spirit is strong and capable of understanding that equality, freedom of and from religion are truly what our founding fathers intended.  If Americans choose to sit on the sidelines while these ‘religious’ walls continue to be built higher and higher, they become complicit in the aftermath of destruction to our society when freedoms and rights have become obsolete in the 21^st century by those who seek to manipulate, control and re-write history.

As for myself, I abhor that my own Christianity has been hijacked by those seeking personal gain and power.  My own belief is to recognize truth and reason and the faithfulness of other people who have other names for the way to God’s realm and acknowledge that their ways are as true for them as my way is true for me and that civil rights should not be confused with the rights of others who are people of faith or not.

“The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe with blood for centuries.“ James Madison

Tags Bingham Young Christian Right Christianity Church and State Gay Americans GOP interracial marriage John Ensign Mark Sanford Mormon Church news politics Newt Gingrich Paul Crouch Religious Right Rick Warren Ted Haggard

Filed under: Religious Right