The Pastor impiously proposes Christian Nationalism, the vulgar and inhuman hope to create a theocracy

A local pastor openly asserted that “most Laredoans are deeply religious.” Many may attend church, but being in church doesn’t make one religious, much like living in a garage doesn’t make you a car. He apparently lives in a deluded social cocoon. Fortunately for him, the First Amendment of the Constitution allows citizens to freely express ideas regardless of fallaciousness. He quoted transcribed oral Iron Age fiction, conveniently cherry-picking the phrase “the godly are in authority.” He impiously proposes Christian Nationalism, the vulgar and inhuman hope to create a theocracy, an overt violation of the Constitution’s guaranteed freedom to believe any religion, or to not believe in the supernatural at all.

Religion should not interfere with government, and government cannot favor nor support any particular religion, Christian or otherwise. The pastor’s ideas betray a mind obstinately wedded to bigoted dogmatic thought. Adhering to absurdly unsubstantiated ancient sayings, he demonstrates imbedded mental fantasy. Persons swayed by his religious nonsense are being subjected to cruel and misguided injustice. Our First Amendment provides for separation of church and state, exactly the opposite of what this pastor proposes. Differently put, religion should not be used to create law, and government should not interfere with private citizens’ freedom of conscience. Some Founding Fathers may have attended church, but their principles and actions were guided by philosophy of the Enlightenment, education, and political exigency, not the Decalogue. The dissembling “religious leader” blindly ignores or doesn’t know U.S. history. Since the colonies’ religious practices varied regionally, rational thought and debate led to constitutionally protected freedom of and from religion to unite thirteen colonies into one cohesive democratic republic.

Texans’ civil rights were grievously violated with enactment of severely restrictive law denying women fully autonomous citizenship, specifically their legal right to abortion. But why would the writer know? He apparently knows nothing of obstetrics or gynecology, mewing of “saving 130-150 babies a month.” Some religions propound that a fertilized ovum is endowed with “a soul and personhood,” others say that humans achieve those alleged attributes after being born, while still others propose that abortion is not a moral situation and remove themselves from the foray. They cannot all be true. Ideally, decision to continue or terminate pregnancy is a private matter between the patient and her doctor, not the government. What would he say of cases I witnessed: X-raying a twelve-year-old who’d been impregnated by the neighbor who raped her when she was home alone after school, or the sixteen-year-old who was brought to the Emergency Room in labor? Her family had pulled her out of school upon discovering her pregnancy and hidden her because of social taboo and church shaming. She died from eclampsia when her organs failed, the baby was saved by Caesarean section. The ER doctor notified the police upon finding out the uncle had impregnated her.

Pray all you want, but stay out of people’s private lives. The writer seemingly guides life by sketchy stories of an unproven supernatural entity. No one in human history has ever proven the existence of such a being, much less witnessed its activities or intervention in nature. The new Texas anti-abortion law and those who enacted it are reprehensibly imbecilic and cruel. They can ban abortion rights, but they cannot curb the exigency for the procedure.

A few months ago, the pastor demonstrated his shameless prejudice by sharing the stage with tyrannical Tea Party member Allen West, who was forced to resign his military career for torturing an Afghan policeman, and extremist Oath Keeper Stewart Rhodes who is under FBI investigation for conspiracy in the January’s violent Capitol insurrection. His acquaintances threaten Americans’ freedoms by using deceitful propaganda that would make Josef Goebbels proud. “The company you keep…”

The writer’s reference to “a Christian citizen” grievously insults Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and Free Thinkers who were my colleagues and students, each of them every bit American as the writer. And he can confidently remain a “Christian citizen” since his religion is constitutionally protected. But he should understand not everyone thinks alike and he must refrain from cramming religion down society’s throat.

Maturity is realizing the world isn’t centered on you, something obviously missing in the last president. Morality is a human social phenomenon and not necessarily determined by any particular religion; it is present among religionists and non-believers alike. The human mind has extreme power of imagination, it’s difficult for people with rigid and closed mentality to accept America’s diverse population. A good education would help the pastor and his ilk to ease up on sanctimonious proselytizing.

Taking cues from Conman Donald Trump, the writer’s iniquitous use of right-wing anchor terms like “losing our freedoms” and “place people in position of authority with Biblical values. Faith, family and freedom are being attacked,” are extremely dishonest and offensive attempts at playing victim. Only a deeply autocratic thinker would promulgate our country becoming a theocracy. He needs to “count his blessings” and avoid temporizing pontification.

The writer appears negligent or oblivious of the wellbeing of the majority of citizens. His constricted worldview lacks rational thought and seems guided by nonsensical authoritarian ideology, reminiscent of cultist behavior like “Reverend” Jim Jones’ Peoples’ Temple, where over 900 members committed mass murder/suicide in 1978, or David Koresh’s Branch Davidians, who likewise committed mass murder/suicide in 1993. His overzealous comments mimic these self-declared “religious leaders” who foisted abbreviated and stupendously narrow scriptural interpretation to control credulous people to do their bidding through ignorance, fear, and intimidation. Such openly Machiavellian subterfuge appears to be shamelessly promoted by the so-called “Laredo RNC Hispanic Community Center.” They lie about losing American freedom, as they selfishly connive to control and have power over Orwellian “useful idiots.”

Churches and organized religious groups have enjoyed tax-free privilege by tradition and for no demonstrable rational reason, yet some brazenly violate the First Amendment by evangelizing political ideas. These organizations are historically unlikely to be audited by the IRS, while the rest of Americans contribute their hard-earned money to fund a government that allows these “holy” organizations frivolous tax-free status.

Another deceitful statement bandied by religious zealots is “government removal of Freedom to Worship”. This is a con of pretending victimization; alarmist deception playing on human emotion. Even more absurd is the complaint of disarming the American people. You’d think his religion was one of peace, but he obviously joins right-wing extremists who pervert the Second Amendment, like Texas’ Constitutional Carry law.

Churches are not “essential” amid a pandemic. They are gathering places for human ritual. The Book of Matthew prescribes praying in private so your Lord may listen. San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller articulated rational leadership by asserting vaccination, facemasks and social distancing will shorten the pandemic and lower the death rate. I praise Laredo’s Sisters Rose Mary and Maria Luisa’s dedication caring for humanity. They are beautifully open-minded and recognize we all don’t think alike, but they are unselfishly dedicated to helping for the underprivileged and abused. If you really care for humanity, get vaccinated against COVID.

The commentator’s wish to “keep God in the USA” is acutely arrogant. He has a legally protected right to believe whatever makes his duck waddle, just don’t use religion to scare or control people’s minds and lives, it reeks of bigotry. He should pursue emancipation from mental slavery, use rational thought to solve real life problems, help all humanity, not just his power-hungry group of like-thinkers. Be grateful a group of liberal thinkers worked hard to include the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution.

Peace to all, harm to none.