Does the Rick Perry 'War on Religion' Ad Go Too Far?

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This is pretty typical right-wing extremist BS. Kids can pray in school and celebrate Christmas, no problem. Hell, Texas even has laws protecting it. They just love to pretend to be persecuted so that they can comfortably oppress others. What isn't allowed and shouldn't be done is government agencies and employees promoting one particular religion. Imagine for a moment that a public school teacher was Muslim and tried to get schoolkids to pray to Allah, or celebrate the birthday of Mohammed. Imagine a governor was Wiccan and tried to decorate the city hall lawn with traditional Solstice decorations, complete with pentacle, athame, and altar. The Christians would freak, and the ACLU would be up in arms against it. Why should Christianity get a favored status? The only argument for it is one based in ignorance and inequality, the "inherent superiority" of one religion over another.
To R.L. Schaefer: Like the ACLU, I support absolutely the right of private people and organizations to celebrate the winter solstice and year's end in whatever fashion they deem appropriate. However, any part of the State endorsing one faith over another ought to be opposed - it runs counter to Jefferson's stated intentions regarding the 1st amendment. "Absolute morality" and "eternal truth" is code for "oppression of alternatives" and "willful ignorance". Love to the earth's inhabitants and blessed freedom are MY absolute morality. "Eternal Truth" is an excuse to condemn accuracy, information, and knowledge. The "eternal truth" is that the Earth is the center of everything, and that life was spontaneously created. It's not simply incorrect, it's belligerently opposed to actuality. Faith seeks to perpetuate lies and misinformation by calling them "higher truth", and not just faith in the religious sense, although a religious foundation is essential to destroying critical thinking in other arenas.
I agree with you that moral rot and televised mind-programming is a problem. But even more than that, I know that intellectual rot (perpetuated by the willful ignorance of faiths, most notably Islam and Christianity) prevents people from developing the valuable skill of doubting. You break televised mind control and religious mind control in the same move. You break moral rot by teaching folks to value respectful disagreement and freedom of thought and expression. I know you hate to admit it, but the Church is a primary cause of societal decay - they act against the natural growth of public knowledge, and they resort to ad hominems to protect their fallacies ("you're going to hell!"). Begin to doubt, begin to question, and reality will become clear. ACTUALITY will become clear.

KishinD of NM 9:49PM December 13, 2011

Perry's Point...
With “Merry Christmas” disappearing from shops, Nativity scenes and carols banned from the public square, “Savior”, “God” and “ holy” being removed from school "Holiday” programs, and "Christmas Tree" diluted to the more inclusive, “Holiday Tree”, there's no doubt that Christmas and Christianity are under fire from the p.c. crowd.
Maybe we need a visit from Marley's Ghost - I just hope the job isn't permanent.
When Dickens wrote, “A Christmas Carol”, Scrooge took timeless form as a lonely, greedy, antisocial, sacrilegious, tightwad. He wouldn’t give a farthing to feed the poor or help a family with a crippled child - Christmas just a lot of humbug.
Our current crop of Ebeneezers not only see Christmas as humbug, but as divisive, culturally insensitive and intolerant humbug. Progressive humanists and relativists, who, like Scrooge, often see things that aren’t really there and ignore others that are.
For instance, they see a Constitution that excludes Christmas carols or displays on public property, but includes the right to kill the innocent, unborn. They fret and litigate over the most trivial environmental pollutants, but care nothing about the degrading pollution that pours out of the glowing tube and into the hearts and minds of our children. They worship the environment, but never it’s creator. The condition of their body is paramount, but they think nothing of the condition of their soul. They revel in the glitzy facade of our society and notice not the stench of moral decay beneath.
And, like miser Scrooge, well heeled secularists have amassed the "stuff" of life - rather than the essence of living.
To these modern day “humbuggers” God has become irrelevant. His absolute morality and eternal truth inconvenient and threatening to their agenda. They would like to see God consigned to history's dustbin or, at least, confined to the margins of society - shut away in the same dark closet where we once kept immorality and pornography before it came to life in prime time.
To them, Christmas has become an uncomfortable reminder - a specter from Dickens - pointing an empty sleeve to what is to come should they not mend their ways. And, unlike Scrooge, who merely turned away, squirming beneath his bedding, wishing the ghosts gone, they seek relief from their fears through force of government and judicial whimsy.
As the bell tolls midnight one easily imagines them muttering, “God is simply a subjective personal deity - different morality and values for each of us. God is merely whatever I perceive him to be. No, no, this specter of God - He can’t be real... little things effect the senses, a slight disorder of the stomach, an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato. I’ll just pull these covers over my head and call the American Civil Liberties Union - they’ll make Him go away.”
Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!

R.L. Schaefer of CA 12:10PM December 09, 2011

When the GOP tried to go "big tent" they had to include basically anyone who is not progressive. It is disgusting to see candidates pander to the most radical among them.

Steve of FL 8:39AM December 09, 2011

This is sooo funny http://www.iywib.com/rick_perry_for_president_2012.php

Paul of AZ 11:52PM December 08, 2011

nancy of IL
Newt with CONTRACT WITH AMERICA brought back Republican party after 40 years. Welfare reform, smaller government, balance budget, surplus THAT WAS NEWT working with both parties and Clinton. All ethic charges was dropped against Newt but one which was expanded by two. Courts ruled for Newt. Thus clearing Newt of all ethic charges but a minor point.
You wrote "weasely-ness" of Newt. That does not compute with me...

Bill Hedges of MO 10:25PM December 08, 2011

Nobody questions Rick Perry’s sincerity when he speaks. One may not agree with him on a given topic- and I do disagree with him on some things- but when he states his position, there’s no doubt he’s calling it as he sees it. Considering the weasely-ness of Gingrich and Romney, this should be Perry’s greatest selling point.

nancy of IL 9:18PM December 08, 2011