American Theocrats - that brand of Religious Right Republican bent on overturning centuries of Constitutional government in favor of a system ruled by their own warped brand of Christianity - are taking the fight to Missouri.
The St. Louis-Dispatch reports:
Some religious leaders on Friday blasted a proposed Missouri House resolution that supports prayer in schools and recognizes a "Christian God," saying legislators are pushing Christianity as a state religion.
"It's an atrocity," said the Rev. Timothy L. Carson, senior minister at Webster Groves Christian Church. "Thomas Jefferson would be rolling in his grave. It's indicative of a movement within one segment of activist Christianity that wants to dominate the rest with their views...."
The Rev. David M. Greenhaw, president of Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, said he found the resolution "offensive as a Christian. I don't want the state defining my Christianity."
Some non-Christians also reacted strongly. Batya Abramson-Goldstein, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, said the fact that the resolution made it out of a committee was significant.
"It's not that this is one individual's opinion," she said. "Other legislators have voted on this already, so it takes on a legitimacy that makes it more than a resolution. It's painful for faith communities outside the Christian community."
The three people quoted in this segment of the article are all people I am familiar with and respect deeply from my time at Eden Theological Seminary. Missouri is fortunate to have many religious leaders committed to religious pluralism and the Constitutional protection of the freedom to worship.
Who is in favor of the law?
The Rev. Mark Friz, senior pastor at St. Paul's Evangelical Church in St. Louis, said he was "100 percent behind this resolution."
If you read The Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer's series of columns at Talk to Action about how groups like the Republican Party aligned - Institute on Religion and Democracy and their affiliate Biblical Witness Fellowship are seeking to undermine United Church of Christ congregations you'll remember that Friz "speaks across the Mid-West to UCC churches, teaching them tactically how to complete a takeover of their church, and speaking also about why he feels it is necessary and appropriate for them to do so."
The Missouri legislature is keeping bad company and undermining democratic values.
Rep. David Sater, R-Cassville and Rep. Barney Joe Fisher, R-Richards are the co-sponsors of the resolution. Feel free to send them a polite message affirming your respect for the Constitution and opposition to their resolution.