Cabarrus Cheap Seats

The fact of the matter is that in Cabarrus County politics you’re judged in large part by where you go to church and how involved you are there.  

I’d be remiss if I didn’t address where I stand in respect to my faith and how it affects my political outlook.  So, here it is:

America wasn’t founded so that we could all be better. America was founded so we could all be anything we damn well please. ~ P.J. O’Rourke

Needless to say, the rest of this isn’t going to make many of you happy.

Separation of Church and State

The phrase “Separation of Church and State” doesn’t appear anywhere in the Constitution, but the concept of disestablishment is deeply ingrained.  Article VI, Section 3 states that a religious test cannot be imposed for elected office at any level.  The First Amendment disallows the Federal government from establishing a church or from regulating the practice of religion.  While the Constitution started with some pretty serious flaws (counting some human beings at 60% for instance), disestablishment was one of the most inspired ideas in the history of government.

Disestablishment does not create an impenetrable wall between faith and the practice of government - quite the contrary:  it’s impossible to tell the whole story of American History and not include the fact that many who settled here fled religious persecution from the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock to refugees from modern-day conflicts.  Celebrating a history inspired by faith doesn’t establish a national church, just as singing “God Bless America” doesn’t proclaim God’s policies on the policies of this country.  And that’s about where the line exists at celebration and inspiration - beyond that we stray into dangerous territory.

Of course, this is a little too far for most on the Left.  When I was at UNC-Charlotte, I saw a student throw a Bible in the trash and state “This is a public school, that book doesn’t belong here”.  After getting over the desecration of the most cherished text in my faith, I was amazed that the student didn’t realize that she was actually helping in a long, slow march to establish a new national faith - Humanism. 

Humanism - put simply: “I’m OK and you’re OK”. The corollary is that anyone who doesn’t tell you that you’re OK isn’t OK and needs therapy: “I’m OK, You’re OK, and anyone who disagrees is a lunatic”.  That is the motivation behind taking traditional religious practices out of the public square; because the Bible is based on the idea that we’re all pretty freakin’ far from “OK”.

Just recently, the ACLU has gone after Forsyth County, NC for their Invocation policy (which is almost identical to that of Cabarrus County’s invocation policy).  While other counties are waving the white flag, Forsyth County is fighting the good fight in this one, and - if they have to change their policy - it should be in a long, drawn-out battle if only to keep the ACLU from screwing around with other things.

I’ll admit to my bias, while there are some who think it’s hard to be a Christian I would imagine that being a Humanist would much more difficult for me.  If I got up every morning and, in place of doing my devotions, stared at my balding, overweight, and often-obnoxious self in the mirror and realized that I was the sole source of my inspiration - I would be one very disappointed soul.

Of course, this doesn’t mean the Right has this thing nailed.

A Religious Test

Many Republicans - yours truly included - are pumped about the idea of a run by Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson for President.

Then there’s the news that Senator Thompson isn’t “Christian enough” - James Dobson said that Fred Thompson wasn’t vocal enough about his faith and has given a tacit endorsement to Newt Gingrich.  Newt Gingrich - the same man who delivered divorce papers to his wife on chemo and was having an affair while publicly pillorying then-President Clinton for, well, having an affair.  Gingrich did both, no doubt, in Christian love.

I have a real hard time distinguishing the political behavior of Dobson, Falwell, and a certain local official from that of the Pharisees in the New Testament.  The Pharisees’ piety manifested itself by pointing out all of the good they did and all of the bad that everyone else did.  In other words, their rhetoric was indistinguishable from AM talk radio.

I can’t say that I blame them.  It’s easy to get caught in the trap of using the Bible as an implement to beat up on others you disagree with.  I was nearly guilty of it.  During the Jail debate, I wanted to bring up the fact that the Cabarrus County Jail maintains conditions that border on inhumane:  it’s over-crowded and disgusting.  The Jail Trail crowd, in all of their sanctimony, conveniently ignores this fact as they fabricate concerns about their home values (which are well above the average for the County).  Given their callous and selfish attitude to anyone outside of three blocks from Union Street, it would be really easy for me to invoke Matthew 25:40: “Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me”.  However, the conviction of my actions could come a few verses earlier: “…I was in prison and you came to visit me” You see, I’ve never ministered to anyone in that jail – or any jail for that manner.  I have no place beating anyone, including the Jail Trail folks, over the head with a Bible.  And nobody has any business using that same Bible as a measuring device for those running for office.

This brings me to my final point

Greatness from Goodness

In visiting America in the 1830s, Alexis de Tocqueville noted that “America is great because she is good.  If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great”. Note: As you can see in the comments, this quote is misattributed.  Follow the link there to find out the history behind this famous, and false, quote.  By disestablishing the church in practice government, the Constitution leaves the duty of caring for America’s soul to the Americans.  We do not have the luxury of outsourcing our obligation of goodness to our elected officials, and those same officials cannot offer feckless resolutions and pointless morality laws as atonement for the masses.  North Carolina will not be saved simply by banning the sale of beer before noon on Sundays.

I do believe in Mr. O’Rourke’s quote: “America wasn’t founded so that we could all be better. America was founded so we could all be anything we damn well please.”  But, I pray that we each make the right choice in our individual lives, and not hide behind a handful of pious elected officials.