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At the start of the 112th Congress, every legislator was sworn in using the standard oath proclaiming the members will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. Each state has their own oath of office that includes supporting and defending the Constitution as well as the particular state’s constitution. In many states, every civil servant, whether a firefighter, school teacher, or police officer takes the state’s oath of office including the clause regarding supporting and defending the U.S. Constitution. Since the new Congress has been in session, it appears that every single Republican in the House and Senate has broken their promise to uphold and defend the Constitution and it may be time to initiate a full-scale, across-the-board impeachment proceeding to evict the promise-breakers in the Republican Party.
The first Amendment’s Establishment Clause says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” and is generally accepted to mean the Congress cannot establish a national religion or show preference of one religion over another. In this session of Congress, Republicans arranged to have the Constitution read aloud to show their intention of strictly adhering to the document they claim directs their agenda and policy decisions. Since they swore to uphold the Constitution and heard it read aloud, there is absolutely no excuse for subverting the 1st Amendment’s Establishment Clause.
In the House of Representatives, Republicans have been on a rampage to make laws regarding establishment of Christianity as the law of the land, and in the process, are prohibiting the free exercise of beliefs or religion that is not Christianity. The illegal, unconstitutional establishment of religion is not unique to the House of Representatives or the Senate for that matter. Republican governors and state legislators are following the lead of House Republicans in passing laws establishing Christianity as the source of law that all residents must follow in spite of the Constitution’s prohibition.
Instead of working on legislation that helps improve the economy and creates jobs, House Republicans are attacking women’s reproductive rights and using Christian dogmata to dictate spending cuts and defunding strategies in an effort to ban abortions. The issue has gone beyond the argument that government funds shall not be used to pay for abortion; Republicans have worked to make it impossible for women to enroll in health policies that cover abortion whether the coverage is used or not, and regardless that a woman pays for the coverage with her own funds. Regardless of the reason an individual is against abortion, the Republicans are using the bible as the basis for the law and not the Constitution.
In states with Republican majorities, the theocratic lawmakers are taking drastic steps to impose Christianity on women with total disregard for the Constitution or freedom to choose their own reproductive health. In South Dakota, for example, women seeking an abortion must wait for three days and submit to sermons outlining the iniquities of abortion, and in Utah, a law seeks to criminalize miscarriages, and many states are attempting to pass laws granting personhood to a zygote. The bible-inspired laws are being supported by religious organizations that are also attempting to impose their anti-gay beliefs on Americans in states throughout the nation.
There are more ominous signs that Republicans are moving closer to theocratic rule, and they are unapologetic about their Reconstructionist intentions. Presumed presidential candidate and former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty told audiences in New Hampshire and Iowa that elected officials should apply their faith to government, and he addressed the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition saying that, “We need to be a country that turns toward God, not a country that turns away from God.” Pawlenty also says that if he were president, he would reinstate the discriminatory DADT law that was repealed in December. Pawlenty is an Evangelical Christian who recently released a book detailing his Christian principles and how they inform his decisions and politics.
Pawlenty is representative of many Republicans who are using their power and influence to insert Christianity into the law. It really is of no consequence if it is one legislator imposing their bible-based beliefs on their constituents or an entire party; it is unconstitutional. The Constitution protects Christians and gives them the freedom to worship and assemble, but it prohibits them from forcing the government or its citizens to follow their religious dogma. The Republicans who have decimated women’s rights, discriminated against gays, and rejected science-based knowledge are legislating for Christianity.
The Republican governors and state legislatures are passing laws that are, in effect, establishing Christianity as the law of the land. They are also prohibiting the free exercise of religion by anyone except Christians, and in particular are persecuting Muslims. The Republicans who are in the running to be the presidential candidate in 2012 are all devout Christians and it does not bode well for America. They are unapologetic and have openly flaunted their belief that America must return to god in order for the country to prosper.
America is beset with economic problems that need to be resolved by rational politicians on both sides of the aisle, but when one side is only willing to work on promoting Christian dogmata and inserting religion as a replacement for the Constitution, the country is in trouble. The trouble can be ameliorated by removing the legislators who are breaking their oath of office. It is a simple case to prosecute. The Republicans took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution that specifically says Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, but they are passing legislation that is establishing Christianity as the basis of law.
The offending Dominionists and Reconstructionist Republicans must be impeached, recalled, prosecuted, and convicted of lying, breaking their oath of office, and establishing religion as law. They need to be removed before it is too late and America actually becomes a theocracy. If they are allowed to continue, the Ten Commandments will be the Constitution and America will revert to the Stone Age; all because the Republicans are allowed to break their oath of office.
