General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBible barons: How the GOP uses religion to keep voters captive to corporate ideology
If you want to know why nine out of the 10 poorest states are located in the hyper-religious South, look no furtherCJ WERLEMAN, ALTERNET
Last week, a bill to make way for the display of Ten Commandments in public buildings, such as courthouses and schools, passed out of an Alabama Senate committee, sending it to the full Senate for a vote as early as next week.
If you want to know why nine out of the 10 poorest states are located in the hyper-religious South, look no further than this calculated right-wing political play, which is designed for one purpose: to ensure Southern and Sunbelt voters continue to vote against their own self-economic interests.
If passed by the state Senate and signed by the governor, the state would put a constitutional amendment on the next ballot to let Alabama voters decide the issue. The theocratic authors and the Republican Party sponsors of this bill are fully cognizant of the fact that the bill is unconstitutional, and thus it will, inevitably, be struck down by the courts.
The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is clear: Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion. It is the very basis of the separation of church and state.
For state Sen. Trip Pittman (R-AL), the constitution is a secondary concern. We talk about the constitutionality of them, but we have to understand the purpose of these is the laws of God, he said. And we think they may have passed irrelevance because of the constitutional question, but beyond that, which is the most important, its also about behavior and conduct through the ages.
more
http://www.salon.com/2014/03/04/bible_barons_how_the_gop_uses_religion_to_keep_voters_captive_to_corporate_ideology_partner/
stopbush
(24,396 posts)There's a difference.
BTW - no mention whatsoever of god in the Constitution. The Declaration of Independence - where a "Creator" is mentioned - is NOT a legal document. It has no force of law in this country. The Constitution is the force of law in the USA.
"We the People of the United States...do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." The Constitution was ordained and established by MEN, not god. It is no more based on "god's laws" than is Gone With the Wind.
In this country, the Constitution is the ONLY concern. Freedom from and of religion is a granted right, and a right that can be taken away through the amendment process to the Constitution. Ergo, religion cannot in any way be seen as the "primary concern" of this country and its laws.
ErikJ
(6,335 posts)"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful"-Seneca -Roman historian
Wow! 2000 years later. Somethings NEVER change.