The Blog I'm Not Writing

Department Of Missing The Point

“Here’s a reminder for the President and his team, who have conveniently omitted the second half of Romans 13… ”
(seemingly every other post, by liberal Christians, on Facebook,
re the separating-immigrant-families issue)

 

(Some) Christians have been saying, to some of their fellow Christians, that a-man-who-seemingly-would-have-been-ok-with-Nazi-Germany’s-eugenics-programs US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, by quoting the first half of the (biblical book) Romans chapter 13, is missing the point. This is because, these some Christians say, the obey-your-government-because-is-established-by-god    [1]  verses are followed by verses declaring that to love others and do no harm to neighbors is the fulfillment of the law.

While always grateful for Christians who attempt to correct their own, we Brights and Humanists and Freethinkers and Atheists , as well as many of our fellow citizens who are Buddhist, Jewishs, Baha’I, Hindu, Muslim and other minority religious beliefs, are waving from the sidelines, yoo-hooing at the trying-to-do-a-good-thing Christians –  our associates in democracy – with this reminder:

It doesn’t matter if the morally bankrupt, scripturally illiterate minions of #45’s cabinet get their biblical quotations “right.”   The plethora of GodBlessAmerica bullshit rhetoric heard at far too many sporting events and political rallies aside, the USA, This Great Country Of Ours, ®  is – and was deliberately and carefully established as – a secular government.

Translation: what your scriptures may or may not say re government policies don’t mean diddlysquat.

 

 

 

 

We are not a theocracy; we are not Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, The Vatican, nor any of the other countries whose rulers and/or legal system claims divine authority.

When it comes to our laws and policies, please, everybody – yep, even y’all who quote your religion’s “nice stuff”  [2]  stop citing your scriptures. At. All.  The only documents which should be referred to, adhered to – and amended, when necessary – are our country’s laws and the U.S. Constitution – which, ahem, is a “god-free”  document which cites no deities and mentions religion only twice, and then in exclusionary terms:

* -“…no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”    [3]

* “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….”  [4]

So, the “nice” Christians want to quote their verses on treating neighbors kindly; well, I hope that in their personal lives, these folks do strive to act with compassion.  I also hope that one day their reasons – that everyone’s reasons –  for treating their fellow human beings with decency are not dependent on some suggestion from An Invisible Friend, but are based on the recognition that their fellow human beings are, indeed, just that.

 

 

 

 

 

Morality and ethics should not be based on the whims of a capricious, primitive, blood sacrifice-demanding deity, who in one of his stories, may speak briefly on how you might be nice to your neighbor, and then go on to give explicit instructions to his devotees as to how they should

* punish and/or kill neighbors who don’t worship like you do, or are suspected of being “witches” or “fortunetellers” or homosexuals, or who don’t worship like you – hell, kill the entire town of neighbors if one person among them worships another god

* turn the captured females of your neighbors (whom you’ve defeated in war) to sex slaves

* set a price for selling a raped girl to her rapist   [5]

* if you are a slave, respect and obey your master, and if you do something wrong, even if you don’t know it was wrong, expect to be beaten or even killed  [6]

 

The alleged musings of an ancient deity – and respect given to such by its followers – are (or should be) irrelevant to US policy on immigration…or anything else.

I’m not going to heed the scripture citer who tells me to do something “mean” because his god has established it (“Look, it says so, right here, in First Contradictions chapter 5….”), just as I’m not going to heed the scripture citer telling me to do something they interpret as “nice” because their god says so (“Look, what is *really* says is right here….”).  Dueling mythological extracts don’t cut it – you must appeal with facts, and reason, and compassion. I heed the humanistic principles of common moral decencies, including

* altruism, integrity, honesty, truthfulness, responsibility;
*  a sense of ethics amendable to critical, rational guidance
* there are normative standards that we discover together
* moral principles are tested by their consequences

 

 

 

 

 

*   *   *

Department Of I’ve One Question For Supporters Of Jeff Sessions And His Employer  [7]

Since y’all (conservatives) tend to give a hearty Hear, hear! to a bible quote about obeying the government, what’s all this then, with y’all’s slavering opposition to the Affordable Care Act?  Since, as you claim to believe, governments are established by your deity, yours obviously approved of “Obamacare,” seeing as how he established its namesake for *two* terms as your president.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*   *   *

Department Of The Five Word Phrase My Father Would Use
To End A Topic He Didn’t Want To Talk About Any More
(“Well, That’s Enough About That.”)

One more thing. As for the policy itself, of taking families entering the country illegally and separating the children from their parents, yes, it is cruelty bordering on barbarism. And for those   [8]  crying about what is happening,

“This is not who we are!”

“We (as Americans) don’t do this!”

…and who are doing so sincerely…um…

 

 

 

 

…have you being paying attention?

Apparently, something else “we” don’t do is understand or admit to our own history. In fact, “this” – and a whole lot more nasty stuff – is indeed what we do; and therefore, regrettably but truly, it is a part of who and what we are. From African slavery to the eviction and genocide of indigenous peoples (and removing their children to boarding schools) to denial of civil/legal rights according to gender and…and…and….

We “do this.”

What we also do, seemingly/sometimes at a snail’s pace, is recognize and try to correct injustices.  So, go for it, y’all. But quoting your – or anybody’s – scriptures on Facebook is pissing in the wind

 

 

*   *   *

 

 

 

May we all recognize the kind of government we have;
May we all work for the kind of government we want;
May we be never be subject to the government we may deserve;
…and may the hijinks ensue.

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.  Au Vendredi!

*   *   *

 

 

[1] A few of those verses from Romans 13 are quoted frequently by conservatives, who then – surprise! – also stop the quotes before the verses  which talk about why believers should pay their taxes.

[2] And conveniently ignoring the barbarism found within your scriptures. I mean, I’m glad you pick and choose and pick the nice stuff…but how do you justify ignoring the rest?

[3] US Constitution, (Article VI, Section 3)

[4] (from the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution)

[5] 50 shekels, as per Deuteronomy, but I’m sure the god would recognize inflation and allow for upping the fee

[6] Hey, nice one, Jesus!  (Luke 12 & Matthew 24)

[7] Like they are flocking in droves to read this blog.

[8] Sorry, but it seems to be mostly white people.