How the religious right plans to turn the United States into a theocracy
The separation could be no more
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The First Amendment. If someone doesn't know much about history, politics or current events, they still probably know about the First Amendment. The First Amendment gives people the right to free speech, the protection that we can say what we want. What people don't know about the First Amendment is that it's more complex than just thinking you can say what you want and get away with it. While you can say what you want, there will be repercussions depending on the situation. In addition to the free speech aspect, the topic of religion is also heavily discussed.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.What the text states is that in America, if you choose to be religious, you have the right to become part of any religious affiliation that you want without the fear of discrimination. Without question, freedom of religion is part of the American culture. However, in addition to the freedom of religion, the United States also guarantees freedom from religion. The opening line of the First Amendment, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion," states that the congress and the government will make no law that reflects any religious belief. Rick Santorum and the Republican party talk about the constitution, but they seem to only use what they need in order to fit their ideology. Newt Gingrich often talks about the "secular left" and how it tries to undermine traditional American policies. Recently, the Republican party has continued their shift to the right of the political spectrum and have used their religious belief for all the wrong reasons. The most recent examples are in states like Ohio, Virginia and Alabama, where conservatives are going all out in their attempt to prevent any abortion and stripping away the rights of women. Virginia Republicans tried to pass a bill that would require a vagina ultrasound in order for women to get an abortion, even in the case of rape or incest. The use of religion by conservatives has also alienated members of the LGBT community as former presidential hopeful Rick Santorum and others have said they would repeal all same-sex equality laws.
Religion has also found its way into the classroom. Many private schools and home schools are fully funded by organizations that all fit into the same ideology, but there needs to be a more strict guideline for schools to follow. The United States has a minimum guideline for private schools, so after completing the minimum guidelines, they are able to teach and run the school how they choose to. While religious private schools have the right to run the school how they wish, certain aspects are damaging to the children. Many Christian schools use books like United States History Heritage of Freedom in Christian Perspective, where they often talk about the Bible and use biblical quotes. The problem with books like these are that they are not so much US History from a "Christian Perspective," but rather from a "Neo-Conservative" point of view. These textbooks often downplay slavery and don't talk about the horrors that Christiany has inflicted throughout history. Another example of the distortion of US History in these books is when the topic of World War 2 and President Franklin D. Roosevelt are discussed.
In the "Christian Perspective" history books, it describes President Roosevelt's presidency has one that was totally failed. They talk about how President Roosevelt tried to strip away the freedom of the American people and fully take over the country using the government. Unions are destroyed by the author and are the main reason given for jobs being sent to other countries. It continues on about how the "free market" is one of the greatest aspects of America and how government needs to stay completely out of private business. They also talk about the presidency of George W. Bush and how he kept America safe and strong after the attacks of 9/11. Any history book that speaks negatively about one of the greatest presidents America has ever had, Franklin Roosevelt, and speaks fondly about President W. Bush when he is universally accepted as one of the worst, is a book that needs to be removed from all classrooms.
While history is being edited to fit a conservative thought process, religious schools also teach that the scientific accepted theory of evolution is totally false and that creationism is, without question, the only possible way the universe could have started.
The religious right has taken "Christianity" and used it as a dangerous weapon to mold young minds into thinking "Christianity" is what conservatives think it is. The United States is a democracy, not a theocracy. While Republicans have distorted history, science and current politics, not all Christians think this way. There are many "liberal" Christians, members of the Christian left that might share some of the same ideological beliefs as conservatives, but hold drastically different world views and how they interpret their religion. Rick Santorum once said that liberals can't be Christian, but I think many people would disagree.
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