My suburb is one of the most conservative – and lily white – locales in the Twin Cities. Why do I live here? I don’t know. Anyway, it’s a losing battle trying to fight the small-mindedness, fundamentalism, and racism that’s rampant here…but I try. My latest little rant to the editor:
Martin Bracewell’s editorial of last week raised my ire. The gist of his message is that Christians are “persecuted” in America for their beliefs. This is laughable. The definition of (religious) persecution is “a program or campaign to exterminate, drive away, or subjugate a people because of their religion.” This is not happening in a nation that is over 78% Christian. Instead, what is happening is that true patriots in this country are calling attention to the fact that a small group of “religious” fundamentalists are trying to enshrine their religious beliefs as law.
One of the reasons America was settled was to escape religious oppression. The founding fathers were very aware of the danger of religion-influenced government, and addressed this in the Bill of Rights, which says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Bracewell’s article says he finds it strange that many people fear that Bachmann and Perry might try to establish a theocracy. It isn’t strange at all; both Bachmann and Perry have publicly stated that they want to turn their religious beliefs into law, which is the very definition of a theocracy. One need only look at Iran to see how a theocracy looks.
It’s as simple as this: we can practice – or not practice – the religion we choose, and no one has the right to make the choice for us. That extends to laws based on religious beliefs. That’s what America is about. The exercise of – or lack thereof – my religion does not – and cannot – take rights away from anyone else. It is the hypocrisy of the right wing that they constantly bemoan the government interfering with their lives, yet at the same time want to interfere with our lives by making their beliefs law.