How Conservatives Silence Critics of Religion

[Brewman_Jax]

http://www.alternet.org/visions/154347/h..._religion/

From the article:

Quote:The GOP candidates’ struggle to outdo each other in appealing to Christian fundamentalists continues. Rick Santorum, the current favorite of this constituency, topped his previous plays with his remark that John F. Kennedy’s famed 1960 speech on the importance of a separation between religion and government “makes me throw up.”

The separation of church and state is not some abstract notion, nor is it a means of oppressing people. It very reasonably keeps people from imposing their religious beliefs on other people. These are not beliefs that can be objectively measured or empirically tested—like, say, the hypothesis that public spending can affect employment levels. Religious beliefs may be comforting or helpful to some people, but no matter how deeply felt, they can have no place in a rational, shared system of managing outcomes for all Americans.

Yet because of the current political climate in this country, we’re not supposed to talk about any of that. The other day, the New York Times op-ed columnist Charles Blow got in a little trouble. He tweeted an admittedly rude and rather inappropriate remark about an eccentric element of Mitt Romney’s faith—the belief that wearing special underwear literally protects the person from harm.

Blow was hit with a barrage of criticism, and quickly apologized—which makes sense given the contextual irrelevancy and vulgarity of the comment. As a proud single parent, he was responding to a remark of Romney’s implying that single-parenting is per se bad for kids, and he should have stuck to that point in his rejoinder.

...

The Founding Fathers took great care to set up the wall of separation between church and state. They were not far removed from the religious wars in Europe during the 16th and 17th Centuries, not to mention the influence of senior church officials at the highest levels of government; Cardinal Richelieu in France and Cardinal Wolsey in England are prime examples.

Too often, religion and religious beliefs are used to stifle science and learning (see Galileo) and anything that will challenge the supremacy of the control by religion is ridiculed and/or forbidden. The anti-intellectual stance of the GOP candidates is a repeat of that.

Karl Marx said that religion is the opiate of the masses. Rome had bread and circuses, anything to keep the people distracted and quiet and manageable. The GOP's use of religion is no different.

[jaxx]

I don't care what religion people choose to practice...or none at all...that is their right. It's also my right to not have any of them force their beliefs on me or anyone else. Keep the religion behind the doors of the chosen place of worship and all will be well. Move it into the public sector and they become zealots who promote their sect and go against the Constitution.

They are flat out bullshitting the people of this country with their religious demands on the public square. People do need to speak up and tell them to back off.