Freedom requires religion?
Slated on Backbone Radio, December 9
Listen every Sunday, 5-8pm on 710 KNUS, Denver.. 1460 KZNT, Colorado Springs… and streaming live at 710knus.com.
“Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom…. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.” What? Mitt Romney would dare say that, in today’s secular-haunted America? He would, and he did, and we at Backbone Radio agree with him. Romney’s speech in Texas on Thursday was powerful and hit the mark. Go to his website and read it, even if you’ve already seen the TV clips and the analysis. Our show hasn’t taken sides in the presidential race; we won’t until there is a Republican nominee. To us it’s more a matter of who’s on our side for a country that honors the Creator in its politics as the founders did, and Mitt the Mormon is clearly one of those. Well done.
Politics, education, civics and civil rights, war and peace, will be among our topics on this Sunday’s program. We’ll dig even deeper than usual into what America really means, what dangers it faces, and each of us ought to be doing as citizens.
** I’ll talk with Kimberly Field, co-author of a new book on Romney and religion, and with Paul Mero of the Utah-based Sutherland Institute. Is anything different about the LDS home state, we’ll ask him.
** Terri Hill of the Fund for Colorado’s Future, an education policy group, joins us again for a hard look at Bill Ritter’s vision for schools: more money, less accountability. And we’ll hear from Paul Mero about how the teachers union killed vouchers for Utah kids.
** That visionary plan for a US Department of Peace that you’ve been hearing about is serious stuff for Ron Cole of Centennial, a Navy veteran and airline pilot. He’ll be in to tell us why.
** Plus an update from Ward Connerly on his national push for colorblind laws, and a look into the future with high school students Nanxi Liu and Max Dovala, who led last month’s mock legislative session for Colorado Youth in Government.
Christmas is coming, Hanukkah has come, and Kwanzaa; sorry, don’t know. Try Backbone Radio for fast relief if the holidays are getting to you. We’re not fattening like eggnog, indigestible like fruitcake, fake like a mall Santa, or grating like yet another Rudolph rendition. Our one-horse open talk show is about to come dashing through your Sunday — jump in and ride along.
Yours for a long winter’s nap,
JOHN ANDREWS
The author can be reached at John@BackBoneAmerica.net
Very, very fortunately, our founding fathers decreed that the United States would, forever, have total separation of church, and state.
I do not agree, that our freedoms require any kind of religion, in any form what so ever, in order to be provided to all American citizens equally.
If one wants to believe and practice religious mysticism, and “belong” to a religious cult, that is their right and privilege under our form of government. However, that person needs to constantly remind himself, to keep his beliefs to himself, and not pester others about what he may think is the word of some unproven, unspoken, and invisible deity. Bands of believers may flock together. That is, again, their right under our laws. But those of us that do not want to belong, also do not want to hear any mention of the various cults or what they may happen to “believe.” It simply doesn’t matter.
Political candidates would do well to completely ignore requests and questions from the media and others about any religious thoughts or beliefs they may have. I don’t want to hear about them. They have no relevance to me in the overall scheme of life here in this country and this planet. My view is held by millions of other citizens.
We are far more interested in candidates backgrounds and experience, and their views on REAL problems that confront this nation such as; misguided, mishandled, and horribly expensive overseas military adventures, poorly addressed drug problems, illegal immigration and border security, our disintegrating transportation networks, extremely poor disaster response, relief, and rebuilding, social security integrity, affordable and equal health care for every citizen of this country, a justice system that is totally out of whack, an energy policy that is out dated and unresponsive to the nations needs, a government that can not even settle long-standing claims of wrongs done to Native Americans — and a million other daily FACTS of life. In other words, things that actually do matter to all, and that can, realistically, be taken care of.
Religious old wives tales, mystic rituals, and unanswered prayers to what no one knows, if anything at all. These things do no one any real good, and are not necessary to good government.
To those to whom religion is a way of life, no problem. But, do NOT allow your religious feelings concerning the items of everyday life that we all have to confront, interfere with or color your sight of political realities, and whom may be the next leaders of this nation.
We, America, are in desperate straits, and the way forward needs to be led by clear-eyed leaders that will do what’s best for us all, without them wasting time or thought imploring someone or something that never helps anyone or anything, and never has.
by Joe Doremire | Friday, Dec 7, 2007 | 9:09 pm