In this last post of 2005, I wanted to review the struggles those of us who want to get the government out of the religion cheerleading business.
Tim Gordinier, of HumanistNetworkNews.org, also reviewed 2005 from the non-theist position and being somewhat lazy, I thought I would quote a couple of passages from his essay:
Just take a close look at what really happened this year. You’ll see former House majority leader Tom Delay and Senate majority leader Bill Frist teaming up to ram through national legislation for a single person — Terri Schiavo — overriding carefully crafted state court decisions and callously exacerbating the pain of a personal family tragedy in the process. That’s a double whammy against the far right because they are supposed to be ardent state’s righters. On top of that, dealing with end-of-life decisions is, for most people across the political spectrum, a matter for family court and the families to address. (I needn’t mention that both of these darlings of the religious right are currently under investigation.)
The prime example of deceitfulness and mendacity coming from the far right this year — the envelope please — has to go to the bravura performance put on by the “intelligent design” gang in the recently decided Kitzmiller v. Dover case.
Don’t take my word for it. Take the word of Judge John Jones III, a Bush appointee. In his ruling, he referred to the ID witnesses and defendants in the case as follows: “It is ironic that several of these individuals, who so staunchly and proudly touted their religious convictions in public, would time and again lie to cover their tracks and disguise the real purpose behind ID policy.”
Religious and political conservatives have spent 2005 lying to us to push their own agenda. It is one of control. They won’t rest until they can control what you do, see, hear, and read. That’s why we must shore up the wall of separation of church and state.
We need to fight them at every opportunity and respond to every attempt to control us. Silence is not an option. Secular Left will continue to fight the good fight and keep those who support separation informed.
To close out the final post of 2005, I wanted to post something I found in an article about New Years:
“Although in the first centuries AD the Romans continued celebrating the new year, the early Catholic Church condemned the festivities as paganism. But as Christianity became more widespread, the early church began having its own religious observances concurrently with many of the pagan celebrations, and New Year’s Day was no different. New Years is still observed as the Feast of Christ’s Circumcision by some denominations.”
I don’t know too many men who would celebrate the snipping of the skin but hey whatever floats your boat. I wonder if next year conservatives will complain about the “war” on New Years because we aren’t circumcising more boys.
I’ll be eating my pork ribs with sauerkraut tomorrow with a donut on the side and hoping that 2006 is a better year for us heathens.
Be Safe. You only have one life.
