Go(o)dness -Religion and Politics

Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts. We are not going back in time, we are flying back in time, and it might be a bumpy ride. 

Donald Trump signed a proclamation today, making it easier for US religious groups to take part in politics without risking their tax-exempt status.

The president’s order will attempt to roll back a provision that prohibits tax-exempt organizations like churches from engaging in political statements or contributing to candidates. It also says religious groups shouldn’t have to pay for birth control in their employees’ insurance. The American Civil Liberties Union says it will challenge the order in court. (Source: CNN, CBS)

“Religious groups should not have to pay for birth control in their employee’s insurance.” Damn! Written today, in the year 2017, not 1817.

I do wonder what will be next? Will women still be allowed to go out alone, or will we have to be accompanied by our husbands at all time? Perhaps we should bow our heads when we speak and just accept our faith. We are baby makers, at least in the eyes of some pilgrims.

Why would anybody in the right state of mind, give the church back the power to interfere with politics? Money, that’s why. Politicians need money; money rules and the church has money. Every church has money because the business with God is a good one.

People fear, and fear opens wallets.

“The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries.

[Letter objecting to the use of government land for churches, 1803]”
― James Madison

Perhaps this country is too young, to understand how much damage was done by the church in the name of God in the 15th century. Back then the Catholic church decided who was in power. They raised people up; they threw people in despair. They killed in the name of God and left a blood trail. Men invented the church and religion, not God.

Imagine the churches will be involved in the next U.S. election. Will the picture of their preferred candidate hang right beside Jesus? “In the name of God vote for him, because I said so.” Brilliant idea, let the brainwashing begin.

 

“I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute – where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote – where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference – and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the President who might appoint him or the people who might elect him.

I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish – where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source – where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials – and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against all.

[Remarks to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, September 12, 1960]”
― John F. Kennedy

I don’t fear God or Gods -I don’t have to- but I fear the men who pretend to speak in Gods name and this goes for any religion.

“Make America great again,” and finally I get it. America will be great again -for some on the very top.

I am mad as a snake, just in case you wondered.