It's Texas- Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines
And if you ain't got Jesus, you ain't shit
In a move that should surprise no one, Texas Republicans have decided they want to live in a theocracy of their creation and provenance.
I know; who coulda seen THAT coming, right?? Well, besides
, that is?Indeed, WHAT separation of Church and State? Texas Republicans believe they should be one and the same. If they’d studied their history, they’d understand that didn’t work out so well for 17th- and 18th-century England. Ah, but we’re America, so they’d never follow in the footsteps of the egregiously corrupt and venal Church of England, would they??
(Nah, we’re Texans—we’re far too arrogant to allow anything like that to happen.)
Of course, they wouldn’t—because Texas Republicans are all enlightened and shit. They’d be benevolent dictators and never let America devolve into something out of a Margaret Atwood novel—like, say, Gilead, right??
Right??
On Saturday afternoon, delegates for the Republican Party of Texas voted in favor of a platform that functions as a far-right wishlist. If they got their way, Democrats would effectively be shut out of all statewide offices, Confederate generals would be honored at military bases, and sex education (beyond abstinence) would be banned in schools.
The platform is expected to be finalized by Wednesday.
A lot of the items in here are performative more than anything. They function as more of a MAGA calling card than anything else.
But still. The items concerning religion are truly disturbing. They go far beyond the repeated references to the Christian God. Here are some of the lowlights from the 50-page document:
Christianity would be pushed in government buildings, including public schools: The document supports “affirmation of God, including prayer, the Bible, and the Ten Commandments being returned to our schools, courthouses, and other government buildings.”
None of this is particularly shocking, of course. Texas Republicans have always wanted a theocracy—with themselves at the helm, of course. The fact that they’re putting their desires in writing means they’ve committed the quiet part to writing.
Nothing new under the sun here, yeah?
Given that God was never present in our schools, courthouse, and other government buildings, I’m not sure what this is referring to. Of course, the Texas Taliban is fond of portraying themselves as being persecuted by godless Liberals (who could really care less about them). It’s the raison d’etre of the Texas Taliban. Without being able to claim (none-existent) religious persecution, they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves or how to act.This is one way for Texas Republicans to let Jews, Muslims, atheists, and other non-Christians know that there’s no place for them in the state. It’s also bizarre to force these ideas in a courthouse when our entire system of justice is (theoretically) dependent on facts and the rule of law, not archaic religious rules.
The only reason these Christians need their God affirmed in public spaces is because their faith is incredibly weak. If they don’t see constant reinforcement of their religion, it hurts their feelings.
Christianity and Christian chaplains would be forced upon students. The document calls on the state legislature to “require instruction on the Bible, servant leadership, and Christian self-governance.” It also demands that Christian chaplains in schools “give guidance from a traditional biblical perspective based on Judeo-Christian principles with the informed consent of a parent.”
To the Texas Taliban, the separation of Church and State has always been more of a suggestion, a speed bump, than an actual Constitutional requirement or even custom. They’ll argue that the words “separation of Church and State” are nowhere to be found in the Constitution.
Fair enough. Of course, it should be pointed out that neither do the words “Jesus,” “Christianity,” or “Bible” feature in the Constitution. Check—your move.
No, America is NOT a Christian country. It IS a country where one is free to be Christian—if one chooses—or not. That is the essence of religious freedom. No one person or institution may impose their religious faith upon anyone else. There can be no religious litmus test for holding or running for office. Church and State each have their respective places in America, but for America to be effective, they must exist separately.
Those who disparage the separation of Church and State would do well to consider the history of the Church of England. If you think it can’t happen here, you should listen to some of the “Christians” on the Far Right who believe they should be among the ruling elite. The only difference between the Church of England and an American theocracy would be 250-300 years.
The corruption and venality, I suspect, would be far worse today.
While those advocating for an American theocracy crow about the lack of religious freedom in America today, what they view as “religious freedom” is the freedom for those who believe as the American Taliban does to do as they wish. Everyone else will forcibly come under their umbrella or suffer the consequences.
Nice freedom, eh?
Yes, you have the freedom to believe and be taught precisely what we believe, for that is the One, True, and ONLY Faith ©. Anyone who refuses to comply with such guidance will face such “re-education” as may be deemed necessary to enforce compliance with the dominant faith.
To ensure such compliance, the Texas Taliban plans to place chaplains in public schools and that those schools introduce mandatory instruction on “the Bible, servant leadership, and Christian self-governance.”
Hello, Gilead.
And what, precisely, is a “traditional biblical perspective?” Would the Texas Taliban be approaching that from an Old Testament perspective? Would they be using the New Testament? And what translation? King James Version? Times New Roman? Wingdings?
These things will make a difference.
When Texas passed a law last year to allow public schools to replace trained social workers with chaplains, church/state separation advocates tried to sound the alarm that this was nothing more than an attempt to shove Jesus in public schools and would only contribute to the worsening of the teen mental health crisis. Those concerns were proven right when even one of the law’s architects said in an interview that “chaplains represent God in government.”
Now Republicans are done with the pretense of helping all students. They’re demanding “instruction on the Bible” in school (without specifics about what that would entail) and they want chaplains to offer biblical guidance (which could be a complete disaster for LGBTQ students as well as students questioning their faith).
Saying that this would occur only with parental consent is meaningless. Students who may be struggling the most are often the same ones who can’t turn to their parents for help. If you’re gay, for example, and your parents find out and want you to speak to a pastor, at least a school counselor may have been a safe haven for you. Now, your parents may demand you speak with a Christian chaplain at school because no trained professionals are on staff.
That whooshing sound you heard was the separation of Church and State forcibly expelled from the car at 80 MPH. Because Jesus only wants what’s best for us all, don’tchaknow?
Yeah, I’m sure that’s going to inspire nothing but confidence among the Muslims, Jews, and atheists in the audience. As an atheist, I know I feel (not) so much better knowing that Jesus is looking out for my best interests.
Sure, why not teach evolution as mutable and potentially fallible even as you teach creationism as proven and immutable? Neither of those assertions is true, of course, but kids aren’t necessarily going to know that going into it. So, a little Christian propaganda won’t hurt them, yeah?
And this is where things get a bit off-the-rails:
The Texas Taliban’s history curriculum would rely heavily on Christian Nationalist pseudo-historian David Barton, who’s a historian in the same way I’m a Premier League goalkeeper. Most of his history is pure fantasy, and what he hasn’t invented is pure bullshit.
But what fascinates me is the use of Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists, in which he calls for the separation of Church and State. So why would Barton want this included in the Texas curriculum?
[I]ts inclusion isn’t weird at all when you consider how Barton has twisted its meaning to his audiences over the years. In his view, Jefferson was calling for that wall to operate in only one direction: The state needed to avoid meddling in the church, but the church is always allowed to meddle in the affairs of the state.
To Barton, the State is always subservient to the Church. This is how Christians will maintain their grip on power in their New World Order. Accordingly, the State has no power over the affairs of the Church, but the Church is free to meddle in the affairs of the State.
Hypocrite much? Is it just me, or does this seem like a recipe for corruption and abuse of power on an epic scale? Or perhaps the opening chapter of The Handmaid’s Tale?
This story confirms my theory that religion, in the aggregate, only serves to make everything worse…and I do mean everything. Why is the belief in an imaginary superior being of such importance to so many that they’d force it upon all of us?
Why, indeed?
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