Ridding Government of Religion versus Religion Running Government

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Parts of the Christian community has been shouting for years advocates of a secular government want all vestiges of religion expunged from government.  Meanwhile efforts to put more religion into government continue.

There is a good reason for opposing efforts to have government market Christianity. Advocates of religion in government have never revealed, maybe do not know, the extent of their religious zeal.

For many decades religious politicians tried to maintain laws against interracial marriage. I read once  many laws were introduced and passed against this. A few remained in place for a long time.  Slavery and segregation were successfully defended for 200 years.

Today is a big religious effort to ban abortions. The huge number of bills have been introduced and some passed only to be overturned by courts. Efforts have turned to changing the courts so these bills will be upheld.

Even though a majority of the public now supports gay marriage a part of the religious community is still trying to make if difficult or illegal. The lofty term, "religious liberty," hides what is merely  another injustice. It is not unlike racism.

While it may appear there is a symmetry between no religion and no secularism really there is not. The weight of no secularism (lots of religion in government) is far heavier.

That is because once all the prayers, religion on currency and "God bless America" are stopped the end has been reached. That is, once all religion is removed from government that effort stops.

But, the reach of religion into the private affairs of citizens has no such limits. For example, once religion allows discrimination against gay people the door to racial discrimination will have reopened.  Once religion allows discrimination against pregnant women the door to monitoring the previously private lives of women will have reopened.

Conservative religious people have co opted the word "freedom." Really, they have little interest in it.




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