In Case You (Like Me) Believe There is Still a Wall Of Separation… No.
An Opus Dei SCOTUS and Christian Nationalist Crusaders are killing Democracy
Regardless of the simile one chooses; frogs in boiling water or constricting serpents, the facts as they regard the The First Amendment’s “Freedom of Religion” clauses is simply that the “Wall of Separation” is virtually non-existent.
Like so many targets of the Christo-Fascist Right in America, they know that their beliefs are far from what most Americans want as nation. By employing dark money, and stealth, to spew propaganda in mainstream and social media to achieve their goals, they have already ended abortion rights for women and forced taxpayers to pay tuition (via vouchers)for private religious schools. This process also cynically deteriorates the public system of education by stealth underwriting of what are virtually religious madrassas.
They want a nation where Christian beliefs are not only above the law, but exempt from it. They intend to discriminate against nonreligious and non-Christian citizens who would be mandated to follow their law. (Seidel, 2022)
Thomas Jefferson was musing on this line and wrote, “It is unlawful in the ordinary course of things or in a private house to murder a child. It should not be permitted any sect then to sacrifice children.”
(Seidel citing Jefferson)
What You and Our Forefathers Had
To put it in the most straightforward terms I can, the “Religion Clauses” used to provide these three things
Believe whatever you want
Your sect, your deity, your dogma.
Your freedoms end where mine begin
You can’t impose your belief system on others.
Your deep religious motivations do not enable you to control others to submit or conform to your beliefs
Belief and action are not the same. Parents can believe that a god is telling them to kill their children. But they are not free to act on the belief. The civil law can intervene and stop or punish them. Freedom of belief is unlimited; freedom of action is limited. (Seidel, 2022)
Their is no state religion:
This is and never been a Christian nation under the Constitution
The government can not use its power or resources to promote a religion. Seidel explains that “Extending the reach of one’s religion with governmental power is not part of religious freedom, is specifically prohibited in our Constitution, and violates the religious freedom of every other citizen.
Citizens are free to pray all they want. That’s religious freedom. They can even pray on public property. That’s religious freedom, too. But they don’t get to broadcast the prayer over a government PA system.”
What’s Been Happening Before Our Eyes with Religion
Christians can preach at the City Council and promote their beliefs at other government meetings from school boards, school sporting events and state houses whether you like it or not.
Citizen tax dollars are collected for “public education“ that is then redirected to private religious schools that are free from government oversight by law here in Florida ($2 Billion in 2022 in Florida) as to what they can teach.
Below are an example of pages from “science” textbooks presented in 2018 Article by the Orlando Sentinel
The above image is from the Orlando Sentinel 2018*
This is a subject that tragically, too many Americans are oblivious to. I will be adding more commentary and posts on what Andrew L. Seidel* accurately describes as a Crusade empowered by the Supreme Court under the guidance of Christian Nationalist and Catholic Fundamentalist leaders and organizations spending billions and billions in Dark Money.
I highly recommend, American Crusade: How the Supreme Court is Weaponizing Religious Freedom. (Andrew L. Seidel)