Voting to Bring Together Church and State - A Republican Faithfest

A long time ago at the birth of a country far, far away; esteemed political leaders, the founding fathers, men of different faiths, crafted the worlds most vibrant form of government with a careful separation of church and state.

For 200 years, elected officials, again of varying faiths, respected the diversity of their citizens religious beliefs and governed along secular paths leaving religious faith as a personal matter for each to follow within their own beliefs.

George W. Bush has deliberately broken the words of our forefathers and allowed religious groups that mirror his beliefs to act as an extension of the Bush federal government. Not since the United States of America sought independence from Great Britian and the Church of England has this country come so close to establishing a defacto state sponsored form of religion.

"As discontent with the Republican Party threatens to dampen the turnout of conservative voters in November, evangelical leaders are launching a massive registration drive that could help counter the malaise and mobilize new religious voters in battleground states.

The program, coordinated by the Colorado-based group Focus on the Family and its influential founder, James C. Dobson, would use a variety of methods — including information inserted in church publications and booths placed outside worship services — to recruit millions of new voters in 2006 and beyond."

Ironically, those who should be most concerned with this arrangement are political conservatives, or what used to be a conservative in the sense of focusing on minimizing the role of government in our day to day lives. The government is now in your church.

Growing up, church was a place where my family went to listen to the words and songs of our faith that inspired us to be more loving human beings, to help others, to act with humility and tolerance for the greater good. Apparently this is no longer the focus of some forms of Christianity.

"The nation’s top ten Religious Right groups raked in nearly half a billion dollars collectively. (Some organizational budget figures are from 2004, and some are from 2005. The collective total is $447,368,625.) These groups are well organized, well funded and have specific [political] policy goals."

Wouldn't real Christians use a half a BILLION dollars in ways to help America's poor, our children, and our senior citizens live better lives rather than using it as a war chest to lobby political leaders?

This is not what God intended. This is not the type of government created by the founding fathers.

Americans must renew the call of the first Americans over 200 years ago and insist on the proper separation of church and state with a renewed respect and tolerance for Americans of all religious faiths. Give us strength.