Mike Pence, Pat McCrory, Robert Bentley, and Phil Bryant all share a common profession, and a common prejudice. They are all Republican governors, and they are homophobic. Each has signed laws in their states which deny the rights of the LGBT community.
They share one other fact; they claim to be religious extremists. In support of the Christian religious right, they deny equal protection under the law for lesbians and gays, and reject same-sex marriage.
These white men are charlatans. They deny the teachings of Jesus Christ in support of a voting bloc. They support hatred and allow a cult to judge innocent men and women whose rights are protected by the Constitution.
Mike Pence is the “White Party’s” choice for their vice-president. In his acceptance speech he admitted that he is a “Christian first, a conservative second, and a Republican third;” he never claimed to be an American, because he is not. Pence fails to support the Constitution. He would not represent all of our nation’s people.
Those who would obtain our nation’s highest office take an oath to uphold the Constitution. Placing religion before the Law of the Land is a violation of the first amendment.
LGBT rights and abortion should not be involved in our nation’s politics. Religious extremists are destroying our nation. Christians are making attempts to control the lives of our nation’s people, and forbid their individual freedoms.
Contrary to lies spread by the Republican Party, FOX Noise, and Rush Limbaugh, the United States was not founded on a religion. It is quite the opposite. The truth is available in books and on the internet, but the American people either don’t want to know the truth, or are brainwashed by the right wing.
Only two of our founding fathers were Christian. Most, including Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams, George Washington, and James Madison, were “deists.” They believed that the material world was created by a supernatural being, but if that being existed in present time, he or she was not concerned with the lives of humans, and did not speak to them.
They rejected organized religion, which is the prime reason why they left England. A single religion, the Anglican Church, had been established, and they refused to join. This is confirmed by the first amendment in the Bill of Rights which guarantees the freedom of all Americans to practice the faith of their choice, or none at all. It also forbade the establishment of a single religion as the faith of the new nation.
Throughout history men have used religion as their prime reason for violence and warfare. Men have placed their faith and trust in religious leaders and blindly followed them into battle.
Today, I am one of more than 65 million Americans who reject organized religion. We are battling the Republican Party and the Christian religious right to protect the Constitution and our right to individual freedom. This is a battle we must win for all Americans.
Religious extremists such as Mike Pence must not be allowed to control the lives of all Americans; they are a danger to the principles of our founding fathers and a danger to America’s existence.
Op-Ed
By James Turnage
The Truth With No Restrictions 