On Tuesday, a group of happy Christians celebrated the dedication of a brand new plaque reading “In God We Trust” over the doors of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton, Tennessee. On Wednesday, a Native American defendant in an attempted murder case filed a motion to have charges against him dismissed because the courthouse is now a “temple of fundamentalist Christianity.” Gosh, no one could have seen THAT coming, except maybe the four county commissioners who voted against the proposal. The dedication ceremony on Tuesday “featured four pastors giving short speeches sandwiched between opening and closing prayers.” One of the speakers, Mike Thompson, a Baptist minister, repeated the old saw that because the words “separation of church and state” don’t appear in the Constitution, the idea doesn’t exist in law, either….
Today’s saga of hyper-religious arrogant Christianity comes to us from If You Ain’t Got Jesus, You Ain’t S—t, Tennessee, where the concept of separation of Church and State seems to be lost on the good, God-fearing, patriotic White Christian inhabitants. I suppose that when you answer to a Higher Power, the inferior, secular laws made by mere mortals are to be scoffed at.
I think it’s kind of cute that these folks believe that “majority rule” gives them the absolute right to trample on the rights of those they consider to be in the minority- i.e.- non-Christians- and therefore less worthy of consideration and equal treatment. What these folks fail to realize- probably because it’s inconvenient and/or they slept through History in high school- is that America is NOT a Christian nation. America was founded by people fleeing what they experienced as religious tyranny. That’s why the Founding Fathers made it clear that there would be no such thing as an official state religion. America is a secular nation with a Christian majority- a subtle but crucial distinction.
The arrogant self-righteousness of Tennessee’s “Christians” is as stunning as it is just plain wrong. Not only is there no such thing as state-sponsored religion in America, no government building should bear testament to Christianity while ignoring all others. It seems the descendants of those who came to America fleeing religious persecution have themselves become agents of said persecution. Those who do not know history are condemned to…oh, never mind….
I realize that there are many, many good, decent, and honest Christians who seriously endeavor to lead a Christ-like life and honor His teachings. Unfortunately for them, the ignorant haters and zealots are ruining it for everyone. If these folks are Christians, I’m the Queen of England.
I did like the “compromise” suggestion of one wag, though: Amend the “In God We Trust” slogan to include “All Others Pay Cash.” ‘Nuff said….
