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Conservatives Serve Up Fresh, Hot Idolatry, Texas-Style
The "reasonable observer would conclude," the majority opinion stated, "that the monument, with the Bible outlined in red neon lighting, had evolved into a predominantly religious symbol." This history would also force an objective observer to gag. No longer is neon just for flashy come-ons to a cheap motel, pool hall, dive bar, or Krispy Kreme "Fresh Hot Donuts" sign. This is how conservative Christian nationalism practiced today, Texas-style. It apparently includes idolatry and the glorification of kitsch in the name of Christ. Although the monument had a secular purpose when it was originally set up in front of the old civil courthouse in 1956, former state District Judge John Devine and his court reporter, Karen Friend, altered the monument's character and purpose when they refurbished it in 1995, the majority said. The 24-page opinion upheld a ruling by U.S. District Judge Sim Lake in August 2004 that the monument violated the Constitution, because it was an example of governmental promotion of a particular religion. Fresh, Hot Straw Man Circuit Judge Jerry E. Smith disagreed with the opinion by Judges E. Grady Jolly and Patrick E. Higginbotham, writing in his dissent, "The panel majority exhibits an appalling hostility to any hint of religion in public spaces." That is a straw man argument. And, as Frederick Clarkson has written about on Talk to Action, this false frame is frequently used against secularists. There is no secularist campaign to keep any hint of religion from the public square. There is, however, a very American insistence that church and state should be kept separate, and that America has no state-sponsored religion. The Constitution calls for religious neutrality -- that is what secularism means. Objecting to government endorsement and proselytizing on behalf of a particular religion is constitutional. Standing up for religious pluralism is an American thing to do. Standing up for a trashy, neon-lit idol and whining about how unfair it is that one's own religion is not the government's preferred religion serves neither God nor country. Judge Smith disagreed that the monument served a religious purpose, asserting that Judge Devine only meant to "restore that monument to its former glory." How about restoring the Bible to its former glory -- by actually reading it, instead of practicing bibliolatry (making an idol out of the Bible). You've heard what the federal appellate court said. Here's what the Bible says. The Bible forbids idolatry, and even mocks those foolish enough to pray to stone statues, graven images, and gimmicky gewgaws. For example, take Leviticus 26:1: "Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God." You've got to draw the line somewhere on idolatry, otherwise people will start worshiping any created thing, even a blob of chocolate. There's the word of the Lord, friends, so fresh and hot, even after thousands of years, that it needs no neon. A gaggle of conservative Christian pastors has prayed over this trashy monument and has pointed to it as a sign that America's constitutional separation of church and state should end.
Here's what should end: neon-lit trashcan idolatry in the name of Christianity, and unconstitutional behavior in the name of patriotism. This monument is un-American, because it violates the Constitution, and it's unbiblical, because it violates commandments against idolatry.
Conservatives Serve Up Fresh, Hot Idolatry, Texas-Style | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 hidden)
Conservatives Serve Up Fresh, Hot Idolatry, Texas-Style | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 hidden)
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