title:  Crazy Alabama Republican Demonstrates Why Religion Doesn’t Belong In Government
text: This why the Founding Fathers wanted separation of church and state.Ever since conservative  Christians  pushed Congress and President Truman to pass a law establishing a National Day of Prayer in 1952, Christian fundamentalists have made every effort to force their religious beliefs down the throats of every American.Despite a ruling by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in 2011, which says the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional because the Constitution bars Congress from making any law that respects an establishment of religion, the National Day of Prayer persists. It s a religious exercise that serves no purpose in our secular government, and it alienates people who are non-religious and people who do not worship the Christian deity.It also forces the President to sign a proclamation every year declaring the observation of the day, which means an atheist president would be forced to recognize religion every year in direct violation of the First Amendment.Republicans have been particularly crazy about inserting religion into government, and an Alabama Republican wrote a disturbing resolution this year that demonstrates precisely why we need separation of church and state.GOP state Rep. Mack Butler wrote up a National Day of Prayer resolution that demands America turn into a Christian nation that bans abortion and returns to  traditional values,  which one assumes includes banning same-sex marriage and outlawing contraception as well as forcing non-Christian citizens to convert against their will. He even goes so far as to call the citizens of Alabama  wicked  and called upon them to pray to prevent God from punishing them and the country.Here s the full text of HJR 316.WHEREAS, God has blessed America, where freedom exists for all, regardless of belief or creed; and WHEREAS, America s heritage is a beacon to the world, a shining city on a hill; and WHEREAS, America s exceptionalism was not only on a thoroughfare for freedom beat, but a leader and protector of values and safety around the world; and WHEREAS, though American s sovereignty did not and would not rule the world, rather than a colonial power, she shared her bounty; and WHEREAS, America has turned from her values, she is engaged in practices antithetical to her heritage by not protecting the poor, defenseless, and unborn, and has permitted the law to discriminate pitting one s rights against the rights of others; and WHEREAS, America now sits in her sanctuary while the rest of the world is falling into turmoil with genocide against Christians and radical Islamic terrorists wreaking havoc; and WHEREAS, America s Judeo-Christian tradition recognized a freedom of religion, the first freedom, that let all religions coexist; and WHEREAS, traditional values have been removed from the public square where all values were once spoken; and WHEREAS, religious freedom is threatened and God is mocked; and WHEREAS, just as Jesus observed when he drew close to Jerusalem before His crucifixion and wept over the city that thought it knew of the things made for peace, it was now hidden from their eyes and just as high government officials often invoke the name of God, yet they tempt God by abandoning His truths; and WHEREAS, America must reaffirm her freedom and her faith; and BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, BOTH HOUSES THEREOF CONCURRING, That we urge America to reaffirm and protect its freedoms. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the fifth day of May 24 2016 be set aside as a day of reflection by the citizens of the State of Alabama who will humble themselves and pray and seek God s face and turn from their wicked ways so that God will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.America faces many problems including the threat of terrorism, climate change, income inequality, and being overtaken by the rest of the world when it comes to education, just to name a few. Alabama faces serious budget issues as well as healthcare and education issues. Yet all conservatives want to do about it is pray rather than construct and pass legislation that solves the problems. They literally believe that believing in God is all we need to do and all of our problems will magically be solved. This is counter to the hopes of the Founding Fathers that our government would lead by the use of reason. If we want to solve the problems our country faces, the first thing that needs to happen is to kick religion out of government once and for all. We need lawmakers, not preachers. Then we can get to work dealing with our problems constructively instead of pretending that some invisible deity will come to our rescue. When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its professors are obligated to call for help of the civil power, it s a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one.  ~Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, letter to Richard Price, October 9, 1780 Featured image via YouTube