Neal's Workshop

The blogosphere is a'buzz about House Representative Katherine Harris' remarks to the Florida Baptist Witness. Most bloggers are gabbing about Harris' calling the separation of church and state a "lie" (How dare she blaspheme the Holy Constitution!). Here's Harris in the interview:

We have to have the faithful in government and over time, that lie we have been told, the separation of church and state, people have internalized . . .

She's right, though. The doctrine of separation of church and state is a lie. That said, it is all a lie. Or did you not realize that the Constitution is of no authority?

Putting aside the church-and-state-is-a-lie issue, I'd like to point out what I found as the real hilarity of Harris' comments. Harris finishes the above statement as follows (emphasis mine):

God is the one who chooses our rulers. And if we are the ones not actively involved in electing those godly men and women and if people aren’t involved in helping godly men in getting elected than we’re going to have a nation of secular laws. That’s not what our founding fathers intended and that’s certainly isn’t what God intended.

Wait a second. If God is the one choosing the rulers, isn't it God's fault if we have rulers who create secular laws? If God is choosing the rulers, how are the laws U.S. "rulers" create not what God intended? Come again?

Katherine Harris is a Republican House Representative from Florida. Her existence as an elected ruler over you and me is the inevitable outcome of democracy. How do intelligent people defend democracy when it so blatantly allows crazy religious whackos the opportunity to coerce other human beings? This Representative can't even complete two sentences without completely contradicting herself!

Other Reasons to be Afraid of America Under Harris:

Here are a few other gems from Katherine's interview:

Civil rights have to do with individual rights and I don’t think they apply to the gay issues. I have not supported gay marriage and I do not support any civil rights actions with regard to homosexuality.

Note how she starts strong talking about individual rights only to end up, I think, referring to homosexual individuals as simply "gay issues." Do you feel the Christian love?

Florida Baptist Witness: Is there something wrong with Florida and federal statutes when a severely brain-damaged woman who’s not in the process of dying can be starved and dehydrated to death by her husband with the assistance of the courts?

Katherine Harris: It’s unconscionable. Having a feeding tube and being hydrated are not life-sustaining. If that were the case then you’d have to take a look at prisoners. I mean, we provide them food and hydration. It is unconscionable. That is normal living. That is what we require to live and to allow that kind of death was truly devastating.

Seriously, just take a look at prisoners, and it'll all make sense.

A few parting thoughts from Rep. Harris:

But the real issue is why should Baptists care, why should people care? If you are not electing Christians, tried and true, under public scrutiny and pressure, if you’re not electing Christians then in essence you are going to legislate sin. They can legislate sin. They can say that abortion is alright. They can vote to sustain gay marriage. And that will take western civilization, indeed other nations because people look to our country as one nation as under God and whenever we legislate sin and we say abortion is permissible and we say gay unions are permissible, then average citizens who are not Christians, because they don’t know better, we are leading them astray and it’s wrong. ...

I'm just glad that, as a non-Christian, I don't know any better. My ignorance lets me off the hook! Could I have a few more sinful laws, please?