(U-WIRE) -- I am amazed by modern conservative rhetoric and its attempt to install certain aspects of Christianity into government policy.
Recently, Haley Barbour (a man who I regrettably helped elect as governor of our fine state) passed a law giving permission for public buildings to post the Ten Commandments and other religious references. Despite the unconstitutional nature of this bill, many conservative supporters don't see the apparent violations to limited government that this bill causes.
The government's job, real conservatives should believe, is not to install a state sponsored religion (in this case the religion of the majority) but to protect those in a minority from religion. Many of our founding fathers came to this country to escape religious persecution and here we are allowing tax-payer dollars to be used in marginalizing non-Christians.
Yet, Daily Mississippian columnist Lacey Holley argues that Christianity is under attack in the Wednesday, May 4th column. How can this be? What little attempts the government has made to secularize this country haven't targeted any religion. That's the whole point; if our state and federal governments take more of a secular progressive approach to politics, as they do in Europe, no religion would be marginalized, at least not with government support.
The only problem with secular progressivism as a policy is when it intrudes on civil liberties. Lacey Holly pointed to the example of a fourth grader in St. Louis who was ridiculed in his own school cafeteria ... for saying the blessing over his lunch.
However this is not an attack on Christianity. A similar event occurred in France. There was the issue of the little girl who wanted to wear a scarf over her face because she was Islamic. Yet, in public schools in France it is against the rules to display such religiously significant attire. Naturally, this is a violation of one's freedom of expression, and it does have some adverse affects.
Secular progressivism is not an attack on Christianity. The goal is to prevent a state sponsored religion. Haley Barbour's bill and Lacey Holley's article represent a modern conservative approach to a former conservative goal -- the separation of church and state.
As a devout Christian and Libertarian I believe in what some may consider conflicting goals: The individual and Christian communities are responsible for any success seen by Christian influence (apart from God, as I'm trying to remain secular).
Lacey Holley quotes Romans in support of her argument that Christianity is under attack from the government. Interestingly enough, the Apostle Paul points out in the same book of Romans, Chapter 13, Obey the government for God is the one who put it there.
Christianity is a religion based on faith. Why then shouldn't Christians have faith in a more democratic process? If the federal government establishes boundaries between church and state that don't infringe on civil liberties, we should respect them.
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