Here is a dishonest little rant that illustrates why Christianesque social conservatives annoy me. Certainly not all social conservatives are like this and certainly there are nutjobs on the left who foam at the mouth in a similar fashion. However, from all appearances, this sort of constituency has the ear of those in power who will at least try to placate them if not do their bidding.
The rant is by someone named Andrew Longman who misrepresents the nature of Judge Hamilton’s ruling regulating sectarian prayer given as official business of the Indiana House of Representatives. According to Mr. Longman, Judge Hamilton ordered the General Assembly that citizens do not have the right to publicly confess their group consensus on religious identity. I can only assume the misrepresentation is intentional. Even a cursory glance at the judge’s decision reveals it to be no such thing. Government is subject to limitations under our Constitution. Government speech is one thing subject to those limitations. Government speech can’t promote a particular religion over others. The Government speech of the Indiana House of Representatives was promoting Christianity over other faiths.
The citizens of Indiana are still free to “publicly confess their group consensus.” They just can’t use the government to do it. A sample:
The Judge thinks he is god and he gloats about it. Hamilton observes that in the “unlikely” event that his order is defied, he promises “consequences” against the perpetrators. We must forcefully remove that power from that Judge.
All I have to say is that Mr. Brian Bosma and the people of the great state of Indiana need to openly defy this tin-pot just as openly and brazenly as this Judge is defying God.
. . .
Bosma has stated he is considering obeying the judge while the case is on appeal. He had better not: how in the world can the Speaker of the House, who is guardian of the Indiana State Constitution and also serves a role in defending the American Constitution, agree to go along with an absolute controversion of that writ? It is absolutely, totally, without question that the Judge doesn’t have this power. If the Judge ordered that little old ladies were to be shot on Sundays at noon, would we do right to defy him or accept the order until an appeal could be worked out?
“We must forcefully remove that power from that judge.”
Mr. Longman’s article illustrates why Judge Hamilton’s ruling is essential. For those who subscribe to Mr. Longman’s way of thinking, sectarian prayer in the Indiana House of Representatives is all about demonstrating their dominance of their religion over those who believe differently. Or, as he puts it, “publicly confessing the group consensus.” Forcefully removing Judge Hamilton’s power is his proposed resolution. He states further:
The solution to the national malaise is a reinvigoration of the American Revolution and all the principles that drove it. We are suffering under the tyranny of an unelected order. Ninety percent of Indiana is being told that it may not publicly recognize its religious consensus because a judge has taken upon himself power to regulate the use of the name of Jesus; it is Christian duty to openly defy the order.
So much for rendering unto Caesar. Maybe that’s what the Christianesque have in mind — a merger of God and Caesar so all will be rendered unto GodCaesar — which is to say, the self-anointed spokesmen for GodCaesar.
Mr. Longman’s article appears at a website called Renew America which appears to be affiliated with Alan Keyes. So, I don’t know how fair it is of me to use this as an exemplar of Christianesque thought. But, it did pop up in a Google News search on Brian Bosma, so it’s not a complete backwater.
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