Texas TV host to candidate: ‘Are you Christian enough to represent this district?’ https://t.co/n3SVYuBkem #p2
— Alan Colmes (@AlanColmes) May 22, 2016
During a Sunday face-off between Ellis and far-right opponent Mary Lou Bruner on WFAA’s Inside Texas Politics, both candidates made their case to voters for the May 24th runoff for the GOP nomination. Ellis argued that schools needed to be properly funded, but that the district had a responsibility to see that money was spent wisely. Bruner, who has warned that pre-K programs indoctrinate children into the “homosexual agenda,” called for slashing “special programs” and early childhood education. Ms. Bruner has said that she wants creationism taught in science class,” Inside Texas Politics host Bud Kennedy noted. “And that her views represent those of the district. Are you Christian enough to represent this district?”
Once upon a time, a motley contingent of Pilgrims came ashore at Plymouth Rock, happy to be rid of the rickety boats on which they’d crossed the Atlantic Ocean and intent on creating a nation in which they’d be free to worship as they saw fit.
One thing led to another, and eventually a group of patriots cobbled together a constitution, which laid the groundwork for the creation of the United States of America will call home today. Included in that constitution was something called the Bill of Rights, which enumerated the rights each citizen could expect to be guaranteed the right to enjoy. Among those rights was the freedom of religion. Subsequent precedent- Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists and the Treaty of Tripoli, to name but a few examples- established what came to be known as the separation of Church and State.
The Founding Fathers wisdom in crafting the Constitution was based on what they knew to be required for creating a system of effective governance. They had ample reason to believe in the importance of keeping theology out of government (and vice-versa). Their forebears had suffered under a system in England that regularly and harshly persecuted those who dared believe in something other than the State-approved theology. They understood the admixture of religion and politics to be nothing if not a recipe for disaster and oppression. Today, one need look only at countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan to understand what can happen when religious authorities claim ownership of government.
Sadly, those lessons of the past are too often barely acknowledged today. In 21st century America, almost 350 years separated from the events which led to the creation of America, much of the populace is the living, proof validation of Georges Santayana. Truly, those who don’t know history are condemned to repeat it.
Or, more colloquially, if you ain’t got Jesus, you ain’t $#!&.
I can think of few questions more offensive and unAmerican in a political context than “Are you Christian enough to represent this district?” Never mind that the Constitution prohibits religious litmus tests as a means of determining a person’s fitness to hold elective office. Never mind the separation of Church and State. And never mind that a person’s religious faith (or lack thereof) is an intensely private consideration, certainly not one that should be used to determine a person’s worthiness or fitness to serve.
Despite the constitutional proscription against religious litmus tests, Texas is one of several states with laws prohibiting atheists from holding elective office. Texas isn’t alone in its hyper-Christian arrogance; in many deeply red Bible-belt states, a candidate isn’t deemed worthy until they’ve sufficiently ritually genuflected and acknowledged their devotion to the majority religion. Never mind that most of those same folks who demand candidates engage in rote displays of piety and religiosity are Christians in the same way Timothy McVeigh was a confirmed and committed pacifist.
The fact that one’s religious faith (or lack of same) is held to be a prerequisite for being considered worthy to hold elective office is as offensive as it is unAmerican. Questioning if one is “Christian enough” seems as if it’s little more than convincing proof of surpassing arrogance, religious intolerance, and an abiding ignorance of the Constitution. This is what happens when the American Taliban believes political dominance to be their birthright.
Remember, if you ain’t got Jesus, you ain’t $#!&…and you’re certainly not “Christian enough” to run for elected office.
