God Is Not On The Ballot

I'm tired of watching politicians on both sides of the political aisle pander to churches to get elected. I'm tired of hearing candidates talk about their relationship with God, like it's the end all be all for a politician today.

Senator Obama belongs to the political party that defends (or is supposed to anyway) the separation of church and state Thomas Jefferson, our first Democratic President, so greatly promoted. Democrats and Libertarians have been vilified for too long recently, being called Godless and wicked because they refuse to give in to Christian fundamentalists who wish to turn the United States, the very nation that championed the secular state, into the Jesus-obsessing equivalent of the Middle East.

We live in a secular country with a secular government. I'm proud of that. I'm proud of the fact that I feel we must defend our country from Christian fundamentalists who want to use the Bible to further their hatred, ignorance and bigotry, Christian fundamentalists who want to use the pulpit to gain power. Our politicians shouldn't have to have to go to churches and hold "faith rallies" to get people to vote for them. I'm tired of hearing people attack those on the left for "outlawing God." These people are enemies of the America laid out by our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and even George Washington, who all spoke of Separation of Church and State. In 1797, the Senate unanimously approved and President John Adams supported, the Treaty of Tripoli that ended the Barbary Wars. Article 11 of the treaty reads;

"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."

Whether or not the Treaty of Tripoli had any major means, there is no doubt that the Government of the United States supported the fact that the United States was not a Christian nation.

Thomas Jefferson, a founding father whom the Christian fundamentalists argue wanted a Christian nation, vehemently defended the Separation of Church and State;

"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between church and State."

The religiosity of a candidate should not be an issue. Religion has no place in politics. Even Jesus said so when he uttered the words; "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."

Call me a Jesus-hating, Godless, wicked far left wing radical. I don't care. I'm proud of being on the far-left on this issue. If supporting a secular government makes me a radical, then I'm a radical. I know I'm not going to change many minds here. I know all those Christian fundamentalists who continued to try and make this country the United States of Jesus. I'm not an atheist, I'm not out to make everyone else an atheist. I'm not seeking to close churches and ban Christmas or Easter. I'm a spiritual person and I'm OK with my relationship with God. I don't want my religion mixed with and corrupted by politics. I like it just the way it is, thank you.

No wonder we're such big fans of Saudi Arabia. We're like one constitutional amendment away from being their Christian twin.