Back in August I did an interview with the website Progress Planet about me and this blog. I was also invited to write a guest post for them and it was posted today. The topic is the two recent federal court rulings that were related to church state separation. Please check it out.
I live in Ohio. I’m a fan of Ohio State. What if I lived in a town where a majority of the residents were fans of the University of Michigan? This town decides to enact a resolution making next Friday “Wolverine Appreciation Day” and gave all of the UM fans a day off. I would feel like I was a 2nd class citizen. I haven’t been beat up, jailed, or forced to change my allegiance, but I also don’t believe the town would be interested in my issues or problems since I wasn’t in the preferred group.
In a country that prides itself on equal protection under the law, this kind of two-tier treatment is an anathema to our foundation of fairness.
The other point the Pennsylvania case highlights is that many of these resolutions and other actions politicians use to honor their particular sects are really subtle religious tests. If a politician wants to honor our separation of church and state and not vote for these meaningless resolutions, that no vote will be used against them. It reminds me of the red scare of the 1950’s. If you didn’t wrap yourself in God and the flag, then people whispered you might be a communist.
Thanks to Eliza Wood and Progress Planet for the opportunity to share my views with their readers.
Doug, Thank you for the excellent post, and for your interview. It is an excellent piece and I hope you will send us other pieces related to the dangerous intersection of religion and politics.
You have a gift for sorting out complicated topics and useful, actionable insights.
I am a HUGE fan.
Eliza Wood
My recent post Religious Freedom Laws Are Shields, Not Swords
Thanks for the complement. I will keep Progress Planet in mind for future essays