If you believe that you are a Christian, only one-half of the Bible has meaning for you. The New Testament explores the life of Jesus Christ and his 33 years on earth when he performed tasks designated by his Father. If you do not believe in all teachings from the Son of God, you cannot claim to be a Christian. About this fact there is no argument.

Whether or not you believe in Christianity or deny any form of religion, the words reported in the bible; the principles and precepts; are glorious and describe a way of life depicting spirituality with purity and freedom to serve God based on individual beliefs, and free choice.

The Christian religious right does not support the teachings of Jesus Christ. They pick and choose writings from the old and new testaments which support their racist and bigoted beliefs.

This fake-Christian lobby does not want you to know one, single fact. Jesus did not institute a religion on earth. When He told the Apostle Peter to spread His word. “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it;” He did not designate a new religion; He was describing a philosophy of life.

Although Jesus instructed his 12 disciples to ‘continue His work,’ knowing that he would soon be murdered, the first elected Pope was not chosen until 1059 AD. The truth is that the Catholic Church, and all ‘Christian’ religions which followed, were created by men, not by the Son of God. All religions were the creation of mortal men who sought control and power over others. Whether it be Christianity, the religion of Islam, Judaism, or any other major religion, no god established these institutions.

When men and women go to the church of their choice on Saturday, Sunday, or any other day of the week, the individual standing in front of the altar is a human being. He or she can claim to be the representative of Jesus Christ, Muhammad, or Yahauh, or any other prophet, but the truth is that they have no more credibility nor a greater relationship to a god than any other human being.

Let me be clear; I believe in the most important part of the Bill of Rights; the first amendment. Religious freedom and a guarantee that no single religion will be the religion of our nation is likely the most important promise from our founding fathers. To be totally transparent, I do not believe in organized religion. However, I would fight to the death in support of any American to choose a faith which fits their needs.

This is why I demand that Republicans reject the interference of the Christian religious right in our political system. This is a direct violation of the first amendment. These men who have created a lobby to alter our government’s decisions are not religious; they are opportunists.

I was raised Catholic, and ‘fell from grace’ when I was in high school. I believed then and I believe now that Christianity is based on fairytales as well as pagan beliefs which began a thousand years before the birth of the Christ child. This is my choice, and it is also protected by the first amendment. Any criticism of my right to be protected from fake-religious leaders is a direct attack on our Constitution.

My beliefs are based on a single fact which actually began when I was in Catholic school. God gave us free thought and a deep sense of what is right or wrong. I do not need another man standing behind a pulpit offering instructions about how to live my life. The honest truth is that I have strived every day of my adult life to become a better person. I am no better, and no worse than any other American citizen. I believe that spirituality is far more important than monetary success.

Politically, I have been an Independent since I could first vote in 1967. I once had choices between Democrats, Republicans, and Independent candidates. Republicans have not existed for nearly three decades. If you don’t believe me, this was the 1956 Republican platform when Dwight D. Eisenhower ran for his second term.

•  Federal assistance to low-income communities

  · Extension of Social Security

  · Asylum for thousands of refugees, expellees and displaced persons

  · Extending minimum-wage protection for “as many workers as possible and practicable”

• ·Improving the unemployment benefit system

  ·Protection of the rights of workers to organize into unions, and to bargain collectively

• ·Assure equal pay for equal word regardless of sex

Today, the Republican Party in name only rejects every one of these ideals.

The “Republican Party” has not existed since Newt Gingrich became the party’s leader in 1995. It began to move to the far right of the political spectrum, and the destruction of our government.

When a single religion controls a nation’s government, it becomes a failure to the majority of that nation’s people. The proof is that the primary reason our founding fathers left England was religious persecution. King George III decreed that the Anglican Church would be the official church of the British Empire. Our founding fathers were not religious, with few exceptions. They were deists. When they wrote the first amendment, two issues were designed as the most important issues which would allow the new nation to survive.

No single religion would become the religion of our nation. Three separate but equal branches of government would be established. However, to guarantee that our nation would never have a monarch, Congress was given the ultimate power to make final decisions affecting America. The people’s designated representatives would serve the majority. This is no longer the situation today.

Today Congress has surrendered to the Executive Branch and created our nation’s first autocrat. Republicans in name only have allowed fascism under the guise of a Christian nation to destroy democracy in America.

If you think I am making all of this up, stop watching FOX Noise and research what is happening in our government. Our democracy is in great danger. Our freedoms are in great danger. Our lives as the Americans of our founding fathers are in great danger.

Vote in November and save our country. The second American revolution begins on November 6, 2018. America is worth fighting for.

Tell others about my blog; the truth lives here. Thank you.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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