Huckabee's new ad calls to vote for Christian values, implies that not doing so is anti-Christian, and mentions religion liberty as a reason to do so. Does he know that in 1800 Rev. Linn made the same argument against Thomas Jefferson, because the forefather had crafted the first bill guaranteeing freedom of (and from) religion in 1777?
Mike Huckabee has released a new ad entitled "The Test of Fire." It urges voters to cast their ballot according to Christian values. Against a fiery background that resembles more Vulcan's smithy than a Christian hell, Huckabee narrates the ad with a deep, solemn voice:
“Christians across the nation will have an opportunity to shape the future for our generation and generations to come. Many issues are at stake, but some issues are not negotiable: The right to life from conception to natural death. Marriage should be reinforced, not redefined. It is an egregious violation of our cherished principle of religious liberty for the government to force the church to buy the kind of insurance that leads to the taking of innocent human life.
“Your vote will affect the future and be recorded in eternity. Will you vote the values that will stand the test of fire? This is Mike Huckabee asking you to join me November the 6th and vote based on values that will stand the test of fire.”
Neither Obama nor Romney are mentioned by name, but it's quite clear what the ad suggests: voting for Obama will make Christian values crumble for generations to come. Which is exactly what Rev. William Linn argued against Jefferson in 1800 on a now famous pamphlet:
"The election of any man avowing the principles of Mr. Jefferson would destroy religion, introduce immorality and loosen all the bonds of society. To vote for Jefferson is no less than a rebellion against God." (Thomas Jefferson: A Life, by Willard Sterne Randall, p.543)
Jefferson was then considered an atheist (he was a deist) for having written the first legislation that guarantee freedom of religion and established the separation between church and state. He crafted it in 1777, proposed it to the Virginia legislature in 1779, and saw it passed in 1786. It’s the precursor to the religious aspects of the First Amendment.
Of course, back then, like now, some people said America was a Christian nation and it should elect presidents that protect Christian values through legislation. Jefferson believed in God, but he thought every person’s relationship with God was a private matter, not something upon which the government should base any legislation. I agree. Allowing non-Christians to have insurance Christians don’t approve of won’t make a Christian less of a Christian: nobody is forcing that person to perform acts that go against her values, much in the same way having dental insurance doesn’t force you to go to the dentist. But forcing a non-Christian to have shabby insurance because legislation has to follow religious principles is a violation of that person’s freedom of religion.
But let Thomas Jefferson himself respond to Mr. Huckabee, the way he did when Baptists asked him to establish a religious holiday in 1802:
"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State."
So, Mr. Huckabee, abide the wall and keep your Christian paws off my insurance. I intend to live my life as a non-Christian. You are free to live yours however you want.
No comments:
Post a Comment