In Illinois, Religious Legislator Blasts Atheist Activist

Posted by Damozel | Eric Zorn of  The Chicago Tribune reports:

Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) interrupted atheist activist Rob Sherman during his testimony Wednesday afternoon before the House State Government Administration Committee in Springfield and told him, "What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous . . . it's dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists!

"This is the Land of Lincoln where people believe in God," Davis said. "Get out of that seat . . . You have no right to be here! We believe in something. You believe in destroying! You believe in destroying what this state was built upon."

Apparently it's still open season on some views of God.

I'm a certified God-botherer, and I find this outburst by an elected official quite astonishing.  I wonder how she dares to presume to speak regarding the beliefs of everyone present in the room?  How does she know what they all believe---did she take a poll?  Furthermore, I wonder how she dares to presume to speak for all her constituents?

And when will these Christian political zealots work out---I say this now as a fellow Christian---that God doesn't need their help to squelch opposing views?  It never seems to occur to them that God must actually be okay with a variety of views, since it's been that way since the dawn of forever.

Besides, I thought Christ had some pretty strong words to say about judging others or presuming to cast them into outer darkness?  If you think someone has got God all wrong, all you can do is what Christ did:  try to persuade them. 

Anyway, to return to the political side of it, what's 'extremely dangerous', as well as fundamentally un-American, is the notion that everyone in this country, or in any state, has---or needs to have---a single view of religion.   If you're American, you get to be an atheist and you get to advocate atheism.  Christians, and incidentally also members of a democracy, are meant to have faith that truth will prevail. 

Zorn observes, "Outside of [this blog], where I posted a transcript and the audio, Davis' repellent, un-American outburst received no attention whatsoever." (Chicago Tribune)

I can't do anything about the lack of media attention, but I can pass it on.

Here's the full transcript of Davis' remarks.  Here's the audio, provided by Zorn.   Here's information about Davis.   

I assume that Davis meant well.  Even so---and I can't accuse her specifically, but speaking generally about those who are always dragging God into political discussions---I kind of resent the way these political Christians  take God's name in vain.

And by 'in vain,' I mean  'in a vain conflation of God's views with their own.'  In the past thirty years---and there has been a perceptible change in my lifetime---certain American Christians have got into the nasty habit of making political pronouncements on God's behalf, and I am sick of it.   The sacred is the sacred and the secular is the secular. 

When you try to drag the sacred into politics, you---I will use the old word---besmirch it.  Keep it within its realm, which never was (originally, anyway) intended to be Caesar's, I say.

Of course, I can't presume to speak for God. 

Memeorandum here.

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Comments

[Danny]

The congress woman of Chicago who doesn't believe in freedom from religion - she is the one who doesn't belong in the seat of congress. She is the one destroying with her beliefs. I've seen it over and over again, Christians who destroy people based on their belief system that is anything but Godly.