Hunter, over at DailyKos, reports:
During a conference call last month with the National Emergency Coalition, Rep. Steve King said that the U.S. needs to crack down on immigration because our nation’s borders were established by God. Disrespecting the borders, the congressman suggested, is disrespecting God’s will.
And then there’s this…bet you didn’t know that God doesn’t want coal regulated. Or that we have nothing to fear from climate change because in Genesis, God promised not to cause another flood. Or that God doesn’t want the woolly mammoth to be the South Carolina state fossil.
I think this is what you call “arguing from authority”–when you don’t have any rational arguments for your point of view, you can always claim that you’re listening to the Big Guy.
There was a reason this nation’s founders wanted to separate what James Madison called the different “jurisdictions” of Church and State–to make it harder for lunatics like King, Cruz, Bachman et al to pervert religious doctrine (their version of Christianity makes the fundamentalists look reasonable–or at least coherent) and insist that government legislate accordingly.
We’ve always had crazy people; we’ve always even had crazy elected people. But we haven’t usually had so many of them.
It’s hard to father that these people even believe what they are saying?! Where did they learn to think this way. It is just so disturbing. They are like little children making up stories so often that eventually they even believe them!
My definition of Congresscritters: a life form which has not evolved in more than half a century yet defies extinction.
Some fringe Israelis claim their borders were set by God, and sure enough, there are borders delineated in The Bible, in Numbers for where the Israelis should be, by God. (Those borders are broader than the current ones under any standards). Islam has a similar claim on Mecca being run by an Islamic state. Not sure what religion this guy thinks he’s a part of. Is there a Satanic Cult that says the borders of the US are God-given (Satan given)?
It’s so much easier to Believe than to know. Plus, as a bonus, Gods seems to favor giving the Believers what they personally wish to be true.
I want to state unequivocally (which being Absolute is the only way I ever state anything) that I had nothing to do with establishing the boundaries of the United States. I do admit to inspiring Thomas Jefferson and some others concerning the boundaries between church and state, which in my Supremely Considered View, remains a very good idea despite the Hobby Lobby heresy, er, opinion.
I have telescope and was outside one night looking at the moon. I had a chance to talk some young kids in my neighborhood 8 to 12 years old, that I invited over to look through the telescope. I was amazed that none of them realized humans had once went to the moon and back again.
I have met adults of my Baby-Boomer generations who believe the moon landings were a hoax. I can still recall some people saying that if God had intended for us to be on the moon he would have put us there. I have met people who “reason” that since God did put us on the Moon the Apollo Program was a Hoax.
Maybe ten years ago I read an article in a Science Magazine about evolution and it’s acceptance in the USA and around the World. One interview was with a Libyan or Egyptian Scientist ( Do not recall for sure which it was) who admitted she had to dance around evolution because of Religious Extremists.
We have here in Indiana Republican State Senator Dennis Kruse he is the chair of the Senate’s Education Committee. He has introduced Legislation in the past to have Creationism taught in Schools, he also has put forth a bill in the past to allow School Corporations or Charter Schools to begin the day with the Lord’s Prayer.
There seems to be among many Believers the belief that reality is a menu. We each get to chose the most convenient reality. I suppose that if one is open to being told what to Believe without evidence, one is also open to the idea that reality is what you want it to be.
My reality is more fixed than even my temporary times and self serving wishes. It also speaks to open minds and allows human intelligence insight into its details. We live within it, not vice versa. Perhaps it is even true to say that science is my religion because it is reality as mankind is able to understand and quantify it.
I don’t know yet if God is real, but I know some about what is. And am very curious about learning more.