Attack of the Theocrats!: How the Religious Right Harms Us All—and What We Can Do About It Read Online Free PDF Page B

it may hereafter become an object of curiosity. It will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the influence of Heaven . . . it will forever be acknowledged that these governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses
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    —John Adams
    In recent years we’ve heard a lot about “American exceptionalism,” the idea that America’s place in world history is not only unique but also uniquely positive. To many on the Theocratic Right, the concept carries with it a divine element. When asked about the idea of “American exceptionalism” in April 2009, President Barack Obama responded, “I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.” Although Sarah Palin and others attacked Obama for not being forceful enough in support of this concept, President Obama wisely avoided interpreting American exceptionalism through a jingoistic or theocratic lens.
    That said, one can find Palin jingoistic and theocratic and still embrace the concept of American exceptionalism. I do. The exceptional nature ofAmerican civil liberties and the enshrining of minority rights in our Constitution do indeed make the place of our nation in world history distinctly valuable and praiseworthy.
    The separation of church and state, enshrined in our First Amendment, is central to America’s unique and unprecedented civil liberties. While I fully admire and recognize the many vitally important individual liberties protected by our Constitution, I agree with the importance and emphasis that Thomas Jefferson placed on this foremost principle.
    Jefferson directed that his three most important accomplishments be engraved on his headstone. Serving as President of the United States didn’t make his cut, but his authoring of the Declaration of Independence, his fathering of the University of Virginia, and his crafting of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom did. The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom served as the basis of the separation of church and state in our Constitution. That separation remained central to Jefferson’s values—and is central to American exceptionalism. Had Jefferson consulted me, I might have suggested chiseling his stellar presidency on the gravestone, but Jefferson had a point. There have already been more than forty U.S. presidents, but the separation of church and state stands out as a singularly brilliant accomplishment in human history. And we have Jefferson and Madison (Jefferson’s key collaborator) to thank for this world-changing concept.
    Jefferson’s “wall of separation between church and state” created one of the great steps forward for rational thought and civil discourse. Like the invention of the wheel, Jefferson’s wall made not only our country but also our world a better place. Thus, when Ms. Palin and other theocrats focus on American exceptionalism in the divine sense and propose or adopt policies based on their particular interpretation of scripture rather than our Constitution, they in fact undermine that which truly makes America exceptional.
    The Political Price of Independent Thought
    The Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial stand steps from each other on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and Washington’s Mt. Vernon and Jefferson’s Monticello remain the two most visited presidential homes. These sites symbolize the tremendous pride we feel in our nation’s founding, but what kind of nation are we today in comparison to the days of our nation’s birth?
    Let’s engage in a little mind experiment. Let us pretend that we are political consultants. Let us assume a young politician preparing to run forCongress enters our consulting firm. How will we help this candidate? As Majority Whip of my legislature, I helped recruit candidates. A smart first step is to vet candidates.