But in kissing up to the religious right . . . or religious center . .
. or religious left, it’s gotten so that politicians, both elephant and
ass, will not open their mouths without first crossing themselves or
testifying. For the POF, it’s particularly nauseating every election
cycle as candidates yammer on about their walk with the Lord while they
trample all over the truth to cut each other’s throats.
In preparation for the 2008 “holy war,” Hillary hired an evangelical
Baptist who has put together her faith steering committee and sends out
a weekly wrap-up sheet, Faith, Family and Values. Can you say “focus on
the family” values? Rest assured, both John and Barack have their
faith-based mojo working overtime as well.
I’m not suggesting there are no politicians with authentic religious
bona fides. Jimmy Carter comes to mind. I just think it’s interesting
that each and every member of the Executive and Legislative branches of
our government is tight with the Lord. Statistically, at least ten
percent of them should be atheists. Someone is not being very honest.
Could it be they know atheism is the only unforgivable and unelectable
political “sin?”
I suppose the real question is not, “Are they really religious?” but
is, “To whom and at what price have they sold their souls?” Until
political pandering to the religious and the dishonesty it breeds ends,
the unholy trinity has work to do.
Closer to home, a recent Capital Times photograph shows Annette
Ziegler, soon to be disciplined for ethical misconduct, placing her
hand on a Bible and swearing to uphold the law as a Wisconsin Supreme
Court Justice. The POF will find this picture disturbing for several
reasons. Until Christians see what the POF sees, the unholy trinity
cannot rest.
Lest I become a boorish bigot let me add this. It goes without saying
that multitudes of the faithful live quiet lives comfortable in the
skin of their beliefs, and that good people are dedicating their lives
to the betterment of humanity (locally and globally) under the banner
of one religion or another. But if religion disappeared tomorrow, those
same good people would still be out there doing what they can because
of who they are not because of where they worship.
Without religion, though, their motives are above suspicion. Think
Mother Theresa, whose religious beliefs concerning birth control
exacerbated the suffering she was trying to relieve, assuming a
person’s suffering and not their soul was her foremost concern.
Hitchens, Dawkins and Harris are carrying the torch passed onto them by
the original unholy trinity of Paine, Jefferson and Madison whose views
on religion and the separation of church and state laid the foundation
for the religious freedom of the Republic. But they, too, were
subjected to the same scorn and ridicule as their unholy 21st century
progeny. So buck up boys. You’re in good company.
Commenting on Hitchens’ visit, The Capital Times was of the opinion
that “his determination to express viewpoints that are so frequently
forbidden makes him an essential player in a national debate that is so
frequently emptied of meaning by it’s caution.”
The POF say “Amen brother! Bring it on.”
Robert Weitzel is a freelance writer whose essays appear in The Capital
Times in Madison, WI. He has been published in the Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel, Skeptic Magazine, and Freethought Today. He can be contacted
at: rweitz@tds.net
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