More excerpts from the Blog Against Theocracy blogswarm. Here’s my own post.

46) Hullabaloo: “Theocracy, however, is not religious, but political expression. Privately, and within his church and congregation, Joe Morecraft is entitled to worship (or not) as he sees fit. However, Morecraft is not entitled to immunity from criticism, let alone tolerance, when – as will become quite clear – he heaps contempt on American democracy, distorts American history, and openly advocates the overthrow of the US government and its replacement with a sadistically violent totalitarian state. When he does so by appropriating biblical iconography and texts – which he arbitrarily and perversely interprets as providing him and his pals with a monopoly on the truth of God’s will – it is Joe Morecraft, not I, who deeply insults all Christians.”

47) Not Soccer Mom: “Every day my son is mandated to repeat the Pledge of Allegiance in school. I object to the words “under GOD” in the pledge. I base my objection on the fact that there should be no GOD in a public school. No “under GOD,” no singing “GOD Bless America,” no “GOD bless you.” But in fact, there is. So far, I’ve “just” done what my mom did for me: told the teachers that my son will not be saying that part of the pledge, but will remain silent while those two words are chanted.”

48) The Neo-Skeptic: “But Bob Ellis’ ability to reason is clouded by his mistake that being religious makes him “right”. … Religion is Good. Politics is Good. Religion in Politics is Bad. … I practice the intellectual restraint to keep my spirituality separate from my political beliefs. Why can’t you? Are you that weak-minded?”

49) Ordinary Girl: “The chinks were there: the history of the compilation of the New Testament and the books destroyed in the process; the Sumerian and Babylonian myths that were so close to the early Old Testament myths, yet were written down long before; the fact that I had to be subservient because I was a woman; and many more. But the fact that I had faked much of my spirituality lay locked up inside me. I didn’t think about it until much, much later.”

50) Blast Off!: “I consciously departed from organized religion not so much because I became disenchanted with my tautological belief system, but rather because religion had become indistinguishable from politics in much the same way that Reese’s cups happened when peanut butter became indistinguishable from chocolate. In short, the impending theocracy drove me away from religion, because I believe wholeheartedly in the constitutional separation of church and state. And so I see “neurotheology” from a unique perspective, as one who tried to find a cognitive rationale for religion and, finding none, finally accepted that religion rests wholly on faith, which cannot be truly rational.”

51) Recovering Liberal: “I can see a key chapter in our version of a holy book, being dedicated to the words of John Lennon; specifically, “And in the End, The Love You Take Is Equal to the Love That You Make”. This line, while often forgotten in the intervening years since it was sang thirty plus years ago, is worthy of a book all to itself. One of these days, perhaps, we will write this book, or else, as they say in the trade, cause it to be written. As to the rest of our dogma, and this word, to be honest, gives me the creeps, I can see a Wiki approach, where any of the faithful, so inspired, are encouraged to share their thoughts with the group, who will then decide what to keep and what to retool.”

52) Blue Gal: “Jesus of Nazareth was nailed to a tree by the political and religious CONSERVATIVES of his day because they mistakenly thought they had power and that he threatened that power. ANY Christian, myself included, who thinks they would have rescued Jesus from the cross, that certainly WE wouldn’t have gone along with Pilate and Judas and abandoned him like Peter, are just kidding themselves. And those right-wingers who think they’re really serving the cause of Jesus by electing Republicans, or working to make America a “Christian” nation? … Here’s the deal about Christians, though. We’re not all Pat Robertson, and I refuse to allow the Religious Right to define what Christianity is, for me, or for my readership.”

53) Club Lefty: “We see it in the volunteer, and the prison minister. In the soup kitchen and the person who gives his time for the less fortunate to better themselves. We normally don’t see it in the windy politician who makes the greatest show of faith. The sad fact is that those most likely to be the noisiest in their public displays of faith these days are most likely the least Christlike amongst us, being filled with pride and self importance, and forwarding policies which do not reflect the teachings of Jesus. Let him without sin pass the first law which condemns a transgressor to death. Let him without sin start the next war which kills people by the thousands. I rather suspect the truly Christlike amongst us are not passing laws. They are minimally concerned with the massive political issues of our times and are neck deep in helping those Jesus helped in his day.”

54) VirusHead: Here’s my own favorite bit (besides the thing about dominionists as “when Jehovah’s Witnesses attack”). “Whatever your religious tradition or inclination, I would ask you – please – to take a moment or two to reflect upon the nuggets of spiritual insight that you may have collected and found to be valuable and wise. Consider whether any of them involve hatred, domination, or control over others. It is an insecure (and I think inauthentic) kind of faith that cannot stand on its own merits and inspire others with its goodness. It is pure spiritual arrogance – hubris, really – to believe that anyone has the whole truth about God, or that they must impose it on everyone else. We are human. To target fellow humans simply because they do not subscribe to one fallible interpretation of what God may want of humanity is profoundly anti-religious. To do so at the level of government is anti-American. And to do so under the mantle of a claim of divine authority may be the closest thing I know of to blasphemy.”

55) Progressive Historians: “These are the fruits of theocracy. Theocracy made it ok to terrorize my sisters — and no three people you could ever hope to meet are less deserving of such treatment than they. Theocracy made it ok to force the one openly gay kid in my high school to run away from home, to flee for his life. Theocracy made it ok to keep the friend I went back to rescue under the total control of her abusive parents even when she was nearly 28 years old. Theocracy made it ok for people I knew to try to kill me just because I didn’t adhere to a certain warped version of Christianity.”

56) Flatus the Elder: “Our founders were quite sure that they did not want to be controlled by government sponsored religion and wanted to provide protection against governmental interference in the practice of different faiths. The first amendment to the constitution clearly provides freedom of and from religion. We have come to a point in time when the Christian faith has been so corrupted and defiled that the separation of church and state is the one constitutional tenet that can stop the destruction of our American Democracy. Jesus is no longer the embodiment of God’s love for all mankind.”

57) Letters to Theo Cracy (Robert Colgan): “Her daughter’s death was a blow to everyone. The government program that would have provided medical help for her to cease an unwanted pregnancy —after the rape– was stopped when you refused to allow doctors to treat women because the church canon law forbids any such procedures. She died of hemorrhage.”

58) Laughing Goo: “Right now, ultra-right-wing conservatives wish to continue their attempts at creating a dictatorship in this country; A dictatorship where the GLBT & Pagan communities will be treated as second-class citizens… or worse. They wish to limit free speech to only those who agree with them. Workers rights will be but a distant dream thanks to the more republicanised christian supremacists. Women will be designated back to being property & brood mares.”

59) Blue Wren: “Here in America, you are free to believe all of it, or some of it, or a little of it. You can also believe in Allah, live your life according to Taoist teachings or celebrate Beltaine with an earthy pagan ritual. You can believe in Santa Claus, elves and UFOs. And in America, you are free to choose not to believe in any of it, but base your view of life on science, wonder and the joy of being alive. You can celebrate Easter as a religious holiday or celebrate it as the return of spring and an end to the cold, harsh weather and desolation of winter. You can choose not to celebrate anything. What you are not free to do in America is force me to believe like you do. A theocracy is a government ruled by or subject to religious authority. It’s political, not spiritual. Theocracies smash the single, universal Golden Rule observed by nearly all decent people all over the world, no matter their religion or lack of it: Treat others as you would like to be treated.”

60) Liberal Street Fighter: “The fake certitude of religion periodically pulls societies toward extremism, toward abandoning the very things which more moderate believers claim to support. This culture, awash in greed, a violent nation within and without, lacking in forgiveness or redemption, a nation of torturers and bullies and brutes. This “Christian” nation worships power and death. This sad truth, this terrible flower, has sprouted from the manure of belief, and moderates have watered its growth by stopping the rest of us from washing it away.”