Damned lies and religion
by Capt. Fogg
The idea that the freedom of Christians to peaceably practice their religion is undermined by the law and by unbelievers and heretics is perhaps the most egregious lie in current circulation in the United States. This lie is the fulcrum for the lever being used to establish a distinctively American and militant Christian variant as not only an official creed, but as the basis for government, law and justice.
Bauer states that he is willing to put up the deposit (and be reimbursed of course) so that the oppressed believers of South Carolina could thumb their noses at secular drivers by displaying a cross, a stained glass window and a credo along with their registration number. Sometimes, those little chrome fish aren't enough.
Anyone riding with me on my recent road trip can attest that Indiana drivers whose plates proclaim that "we" trust some unspecified god are just as incompetent and perhaps
more likely to be viciously aggressive than others. They would have had ample experience of being put in danger by people with Jesus fish on their SUV's. They would have been regularly reminded that "HELL IS REAL" by countless billboards and moralized at by endless displays of tendentiously edited versions of Jewish covenants. The coins they dropped into toll booth bins would have a religious message on them. They never would have been out of radio range of at least half a dozen evangelical radio stations and they never have been or will be told by the ACLU what to believe or disbelieve or display on their cars, their homes or as a frontlet between their eyes.
Religious freedom is alive and well in the United States of America but it's the power of the Clergy, the power of Christian leaders to force their doctrines on all of us we need to be afraid of and if this were not true, they wouldn't have to lie -- now would they?
Cross posted from The Reaction
The idea that the freedom of Christians to peaceably practice their religion is undermined by the law and by unbelievers and heretics is perhaps the most egregious lie in current circulation in the United States. This lie is the fulcrum for the lever being used to establish a distinctively American and militant Christian variant as not only an official creed, but as the basis for government, law and justice.
"I'm all about freedom of speech" says South Carolina Lt. Governor Andre Bauer.That's why he helped push legislation allowing automobile license plates to become a platform for advertising the owner's Christianity. A measure to permit "I BELIEVE" license tags with Christian symbols failed recently in Florida, but South Carolina already allows special plates for any cause with a minimum prepaid order of 400 or a $4000 deposit. The legislation was thus largely redundant and the SC Governor passed it without signature, but its purpose was not only to allow government assistance in evangelistic pursuits, but to promote the idea that Christianity is being persecuted.
Bauer states that he is willing to put up the deposit (and be reimbursed of course) so that the oppressed believers of South Carolina could thumb their noses at secular drivers by displaying a cross, a stained glass window and a credo along with their registration number. Sometimes, those little chrome fish aren't enough.
"People who support Judeo-Christian values are ever under fire now," Bauer said to AP News.
"It's like they expect folks who are believers just to roll over because they're scared of the ACLU."I'm sure Bauer will soon issue an encyclical explaining away the antithetical nature of Christianity and Judaism, but of course nobody is expecting anyone to roll in holy or unholy fashion - only to stop sticking their beliefs in everyone else's face, trying to impose their taboos and forcing everyone to pay for it. Frankly I don't care whether the guy I'm following on the road is following some higher or lower father -- or whether he's Cuckoo for Cocoa Pops. I do care whether the government I pay for gives him special treatment and privileges in his mission. I do care that there might be more freedom of speech for those who see magic apparitions in their morning toast than there is for me and I don't appreciate having to keep my beliefs secret in that State for fear of being shot and left for dead on some dirt road in South Carolina.
Anyone riding with me on my recent road trip can attest that Indiana drivers whose plates proclaim that "we" trust some unspecified god are just as incompetent and perhaps
more likely to be viciously aggressive than others. They would have had ample experience of being put in danger by people with Jesus fish on their SUV's. They would have been regularly reminded that "HELL IS REAL" by countless billboards and moralized at by endless displays of tendentiously edited versions of Jewish covenants. The coins they dropped into toll booth bins would have a religious message on them. They never would have been out of radio range of at least half a dozen evangelical radio stations and they never have been or will be told by the ACLU what to believe or disbelieve or display on their cars, their homes or as a frontlet between their eyes.Religious freedom is alive and well in the United States of America but it's the power of the Clergy, the power of Christian leaders to force their doctrines on all of us we need to be afraid of and if this were not true, they wouldn't have to lie -- now would they?
Cross posted from The Reaction
Labels: religion
posted by Libby Spencer at 2:07 PM
7 Comments:
Oh, I'm so glad you're back. Great post and what a fab photo. Beats anything I've seen here so far, even the van that trolls shopping center parking lots with a loudspeaker proclaiming the 'good word.'
I have about a dozen shots of it - but isn't it funny how the ACLU doesn't care and the police don't care and the "far left Liberals" don't care?
In fact if someone actually hassled these folks, the ACLU would defend them -- as they usually do.
I heard about this on NPR. I was surprised to hear that pretty much anybody with $4000 can get whatever he wants on a South Carolina license plate. We should find a reader in the state and take up a collection. You could have a contest for the most outrageous or ridiculous license plate ever. You could even go the serious route, and say something semi-profound.
How about "Love your freedom? Thank a blogger!", or "Militant Agnostic: I don't know, and neither do you!"
On a serious note, I too have been baffled by the need for some Christians to imagine they are being persecuted in the U.S. I believe that if they are truly serious about religious persecution, they should join Amnesty International and help release some prisoners in China or elsewhere who are imprisoned for holding mass. It might put their "plight" in perspective. Perhaps they so much want to identify with their martyr God that they imagine themselves to be martyrs as well. In any case, their protests belittle the plight of those around the world who truly are being persecuted.
I love the idea of an agnostic plate!
Separating the members from the rest of mankind in one way or another is an ancient ploy and it works well.
There's no special dress for evangelists: no beards, no funny hats. Being persecuted however is one of the best tools and better still if the persecution is illusory. It's been said that early persecution of Christians allowed the religion to survive and perhaps persecution has kept Jews from blending into the gentiles and disappearing.
Then too, it allows them to sell their drive to persecute others. That's a way of presenting the religious freedom of others as an attack on them.
Vanity of vanities.
I've heard far more "God wants me to be rich" sermons than " sell all you have and give to the poor sermons.
I can't stand those preachers who try to tell you that you can get rich simply by having faith. Its like saying if you're not rich, your faith isn't strong enough; You must be doing something wrong with God.
Reminds me of two more bumper stickers:
1) I love Christ, but I can't stand some of his fans.
2) In case of Rapture, can I have your car?
Hey, maybe we can put some of those on a SC license plate!
Ah the relief and joy of living in a largely Buddhist society. Indeed, neither they nor the Muslims go around trying to jam their beliefs down everyone else's throat. That seems to be exclusively a Christian activity.
American Christianity seems to be the biggest offender and some people who write books on the subject consider it a religion unto itself. Certainly it has little to do with the teachings, in as much as we can know them, of Jesus. In fact Tom Jefferson wrote a book along those lines, so it's not very new.
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