Government, Constitution should not be subject to Christian beliefs

Fundamentalist Christianity is a sore subject with me. I’ve always been more subdued in my worship of God. I’ve even entertained doubts about his or her or its existence. If I had done that openly in the small town where I attended high school, it would’ve invoked the self-righteous wrath of people hell-bent on saving my soul.

Saying the school administrators there teetered on the line of separation between church and state would be an understatement. They often crossed it and took everyone else with them.

I tried ignoring it when members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes put up a construction paper crucifix in the hallway. Our student assemblies were ostensibly secular but almost always featured an inspirational Christian speaker.

These experiences still resonate with me when I hear people in the Christian community cry, “persecution!” because they can’t impose their religious beliefs on someone else.
Secularism is not an evil conspiracy. It is a necessary attitude that public officials must assume so they can serve every citizen, not just followers of Jesus Christ.

It’s the attitude our government must take when deciding whether two men can marry. Nearly all of the arguments against gay marriage have their roots in religion. Our Constitution, not Christ, Mohammed or Moses, should be the final arbiter there.

I thank God the Constitution is not so weak that it can be amended on a whim. President Bush won’t risk all of his political capital on this issue, though he’ll publicly support others who will run the fool’s errand for him. A constitutional amendment with a basis in bigotry would contradict the president’s compassionate conservative image.

Sure, the president supports a ban on gay marriage. It’s an election year. He promised everyone lower taxes. He literally promised Americans the moon. Fundamentalist Christians are setting themselves up for heartbreak. Bush owns the Christian right, not the other way around.

I don’t think Christians are bad people. Many of them sincerely believe America is God’s instrument in bringing the gospel to the rest of the world. That’s fine. Jesus is a good example of how love and tolerance can be an effective instrument for change. It’s just unfortunate that certain Christians aren’t following his example.

When these Christians make schools stop teaching evolution, turn other human beings into second-class citizens under the law and erect huge monuments to their faith in government buildings, it does not demonstrate the righteousness of their beliefs. It shows they are so insecure in what they believe that they will bully or intimidate anyone who disagrees with them.

No one is telling Christians what they can or cannot believe. I haven’t seen a disclaimer on a Bible that says, “Warning: Genesis may be a metaphor and should not be taken literally.” What the courts are telling Christians is they can’t force others to agree with them using a public forum. Lack of government involvement in religion does not weaken faith; it strengthens it.

Some Christians are doing bad things in Christ’s name. They are doing disservice to themselves and other Christians by misrepresenting Christ. Politicians should stop coddling them, and people of all faiths should stand up to them.

Dan Whisenhunt is a columnist for The Crimson White at the University of Alabama.
This column was distributed by U-Wire.