Monday, January 07, 2008

Revise the Constitution? Check. Revise History? Check.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

There was an interesting post on Daily Kos last week about the little noticed House Resolution 888, introduced last month by Congressman Randy Forbes (R-VA).

The resolution seeks to affirm "the rich spiritual and religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history and expressing support for designation of the first week in May as 'American Religious History Week' for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith."

Chris Rodda, the Senior Research Director for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, and the author of Liars For Jesus: The Religious Right's Alternate Version of American History, writes:
While the recent House of Representatives 'Christmas resolution' was being covered and discussed ad nauseum on countless websites, blogs, and elsewhere, another far more heinous resolution was introduced, one which, unbelievably, does not appear to have been noticed by anyone...

Rodda continues:
The resolution, which purports to promote 'education on America's history of religious faith,' is packed with the same American history lies found on the Christian nationalist websites, and in the books of pseudo-historians like David Barton. It lists a total of seventy-five "Whereas's," leading up to four resolves, the third of which is particularly disturbing -- that the U.S. House of Representatives 'rejects, in the strongest possible terms, any effort to remove, obscure, or purposely omit such history from our Nation's public buildings and educational resources,' a travesty of the highest magnitude, considering that most of the 'history' this resolve aims to promote in our public buildings and schools IS NOT REAL!

But you don't have to take Rodda's word. Read the whole scary resolution for yourself.

Lauri in York

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5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

My representative happens to be on the committee. I've written him to let him know what I think

Following is a link to the committee members. If any of them are your representative, let them know where you stand.

http://oversight.house.gov/about/members.asp

8:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And still people ask me why I'm so keen on making sure people fight back on things like this. We're told that religion is NOT being forced on us, and then our gonvermnent does stuff like this.

I guess as soon as the ignorant folk learn the difference between Deist and Christian, we might be ok.

The problem is, it's a given that we're a Christian-founded country. The other problem is that the given is *wrong* but no one seems to want to listen.

The Founding Fathers knew how dangerous religion was in the government's hands and did their best to try to keep us safe. It's only taken 200 years, but their work will be undone soon, especially if we get the right candidate as president next.

8:02 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What then do you think about the National Day of Prayer, Easter, Good Friday, etc? They are all nationally observed holidays from religious foundations.

1:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anon, there are two issue - First, resolutions that show support or encouragement for one religious belief over another, and second, resolutions that represent outright falshoods and lies as history.

Whatever one may think about the former (National Day of Prayer, Easter, Good Friday, etc.), one would hope that all people of good faith would be against the later.

This resolution strikes out on both points. Give your representitve a call and let him/her know that if congress is going to lecture us on history, it ought not lie.

4:11 PM  
Blogger Ashley Bear said...

It would never be ok to re-define the Constitution!!! That would mean the government has more power that its suppose to. And that would mean we wouldn't be a democracy either, if you think about it, we are a democracy because of the amount of power the government has and the guidelines they have to follow. And, all the nationally observed holidays are such for a reason. We are ONE NATION UNDER GOD. Our country was founded on the basis of a God, and such will continue. It's stamped on our money, it's recited in our schools still by most, and it's a part of our constitution to remain that way. We have a freedom of religion, and a freedom of speech. There is nothing wrong with not believing in a God, we are all free to believe whatever we want. The majority of us have faith, and to those who don't, that's ok. It's a free country. We aren't to say that you have to believe in God or even that you can't tell us you don't. Just as you aren't to say it's not right for everyone else to openly display that our country, your country, is based on a God. If people get their way with banning any kind of religious displays, who is to say that those people won't attack Santa next, and the Easter Bunny. It's as rediculous as it's said.

6:27 PM  

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