No offense to Christians, as there are many good people among you, but I'm quite fed up with hearing about how this country was founded upon Christian (or even Judeo-Christian) principles.
I realize that things like reading and education are out of fashion, but it might do all concerned some good to read what the Founding Fathers actually stood for. Do you not believe that they were as much for freedom from religion as they were for freedom of religion?
Well, I have some news for you. Some of our most revered Founding Fathers were not big fans of religion. Name one, you say? Ever hear of a guy named Thomas Jefferson?
He was President of the United States back when learned men held the job.
President Jefferson wrote, "I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature. They are all alike, founded upon fables and mythology."
What's this? A Founding Father who didn't sound like a born again preacher? Can this be?
Any others? Hmmm. Have you heard of a guy named George Washington? Well, he said a few interesting things, none of which today's GOP seems to know or care about. How about this...
He declared that the government gave "to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance." Really? To bigotry no sanction?
I wonder what he'd think of state governments saying certain people can't have the same protections as others. Yes, I'm talking about those scary gays. Don't want gay marriage? I might understand that, but the laws meant to deny any similar rights/protections to gay men and women are appalling. My partner can't be protected under law because we're both men, despite our having a more dedicated and lasting relationship than the majority of straight marriages (a fact, based simply on adultery and divorce rates, as compared to the years we have been together)? If you don't think there's something wrong with this, then you're either addled or blinded by bigotry.
President Washington added that the United States government "requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens."
The Founding Fathers were, as a group, religious men. Many were practicing Christians. They also were quite clear that every American was to have the freedom to practice their religion, as well as freedom from the oppression of living under the rules of others' religions.
Now, we are faced with a government making laws on the basis of Christian beliefs. I can respect faithful Christians, but I cannot respect their judging my life and trying to limit my rights on the basis of their beliefs.
Perhaps these people who seek to judge me and infringe upon my rights will someday take the trouble to truly learn about their country and find that, despite their favored politicians' propaganda, the Founding Fathers would not favor their efforts. Shame on everyone behind these un-American acts.
2 comments:
I wrote this in my journal and it's appropriate in relation to your post... "What's the difference between the Republican party largely backed by extremely conservative Christians legislating moral values for me (passing 13 different measures in 13 different states this year preventing gay couples from marrying) and the Taliban?" Both the Republican party and the Taliban oppressed and denied equal rights to minority groups simply because they could in the name of their so called religions. I see no moral high ground or equal treatment here.
There is a great email going around that we handed around in a community therapy group recently (about the passage of all these anti-gay-marriage laws). I bet it's findable on Google: "The Grinch Who Stole Marriage".
Hilarious.
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