Blog with the best. Blog Against Theocracy.
I'd like invite you all to Blog Against Theocracy. This is a little blog swarm being put together by everybody's favorite panties blogger Blue Gal for Easter weekend, April 6th through the 8th. The idea is simple. Just post something related to, and in support of, the separation of church and state each of those three days. Something big, something small, artistic, musical, textual or otherwise. The topic is your choosing. Whether your thing is stem cell research, intelligent design/Creationism, abortion rights, etc., it's all good. Separation of church and state impacts so many issues and is essential.
Blue Gal is still putting the finishing touches on everything and tying up loose ends so check in regularly with her for updates. In the meantime, if you need a little information to tickle your muse then you'll want to check over at First Freedom First for a ton of excellent resources. FFF is a partnership of two very cool groups; Americans United For Separation of Church and State and the Interfaith Alliance Foundation. Also, I can personally recommend this interview on CFI's Point of Inquiry podcast with Susan Jacoby, author of Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism. The Center For Inquiry is just one of many supporters of the FFF project.
So get involved in a little blogactivism and help raise awareness on the need to preserve separation of church and state and protecting the First Amendment. Your help in recruiting bloggers for Blog Against Theocracy is needed and appreciated too.
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tng's blog | printer friendly version
Blue Gal | 2007-03-21 11:33 |
Thank you, Leo
This blogswarm is going to be amazing. Particularly BECAUSE of the participation of Science and Atheist bloggers. Speaking as a Divinity School graduate, I am convinced that you are the best writers on religion in the blogosphere.
I'm also working up a sidebar graphic with another blogger that should be ready when I get back Monday or Tuesday. My first thought was, you know, Jesus and Thomas Jefferson in locked lips but then this blogswarm is about SEPARATION of Church and State.
Gay marriage is part of that whole issue, too.
tng | 2007-03-21 11:51 |
You're very welcome
And you're right, this blogswarm is going to be huge!
Anonymous (not verified) | 2007-04-07 14:53 | Another freethinker
Another freethinker checking in.
tng | 2007-03-21 20:58 |
Cool!
Thanks much dhonig!
opit (not verified) | 2007-03-21 23:35 |
Updates
BlueGirl for updates ? She just posted as going on vacation !
beepbeepitsme (not verified) | 2007-03-21 23:40 |
blog
It's a great idea. I will try to be part of it.
Montag (not verified) | 2007-03-22 09:48 |
I'm in.
I'm in.
Lily (not verified) | 2007-03-22 10:48 | Theocracy Posts
Just heard about it from Blue gal. I will post a link at Peace Train. (www.thepeacetrain.org) Thats not my site but its a place where many people who might be interested gather.
Good luck with the organizing!
Thorne (not verified) | 2007-03-22 16:53 |
Blogging against Theocracy
Most excellent!!!! I love this idea and shall definitely participate. I'll also post it everywhere I have a presence.
KipEsquire (not verified) | 2007-03-23 10:42 |
BAT
I will be traveling but will post a selection from my archives on each of the three days.
Brandon (not verified) | 2007-03-23 14:48 |
Theocracy
We're in the process of upgrading our blog and when one of my team mates found this particular post he was interested. In fact, the same team member had the same idea last year, a series of articles abut theocracy and the dangers thereof to be posted around Easter. Many of my blogging partners contribute on The Peace Train and on The Blue Republic and we are rather curious about all of this. What can we do to contribute?
Liz Ditz (not verified) | 2007-03-24 15:48 |
Blogging for separation of church and state and for freedom of r
I'm in and will make one or more buttons that people may appropriate.
first one is
here
tng | 2007-03-24 16:25 |
Thanks Liz
I think Blue Gal is coming up with some graphics too. The Blog Against Theocracy meme is really starting to spread!
Crablaw (not verified) | 2007-03-25 08:54 |
I'm in
This is excelent.
mrbhave (not verified) | 2007-03-25 11:30 |
The Largo, Florida city manager anecdote
It's hard for me to imagine that religionists can separate church and state. Religion, no matter which flavor, is at the root of their belief system and subsequently their reality and expectations of the world around them. I myself am agnostic, so the concept of religion does not exist as a foundation of my values. Albeit, I don't know if a god (or many gods) exist. It's not something that governs and/or influences my daily life. And for most people who choose religion, I don't take any objection. But the fact is that the very concept of religion seeks to divide us into separate groups, as is painfully evidenced by the Shiite - Sunni conflict in Iraq. One's embrace of one religion in favor of another ultimately shapes one's opinions and decision-making process.
Case in point, the story of Steve Stanton, a once well-respected (and still, in my opinion) city manager for the city of Largo, Florida. From the
Saint Petersburg Times, "City commissioners ended one of the most tumultuous weeks in Largo history Tuesday night by moving to fire City Manager Steve Stanton following his disclosure that he will have a sex-change operation." In a crude generalization to make a long story short, it's my opinion that Mr. Stanton was fired specifically because of his freedom to pursue his own, legal dream of becoming a woman, and this, this alone has simply rubbed the value system of others the wrong way. So long as the man can do his job, why should his own value system be called into question? Why shouldn't we hold this "...majority of commissioners..." responsible for further explaining why they suddenly "...lost confidence in Stanton's ability to lead?" Should homophobia be cause for termination of a public officer? Should religious value judgments be allowed to influence politics? We claim there is a separation of church and state, but anecdotes such as this give me great pause. Moreover, they give me great concern that many folks may never be able to pursue their dreams in this country, so long as those dreams are incongruent with the value system of others. That's just my opinion.
Blue Gal | 2007-03-26 19:45 | Actually, I couldn't disagree more
It's hard for me to imagine that religionists can separate church and state. Religion, no matter which flavor, is at the root of their belief system and subsequently their reality and expectations of the world around them.
Lots of agnostics and atheists are surprised to learn that a great many financial contributors to Americans United for the Separation of Church and State are regular churchgoers. I am. Among the big supporters of that group are Christian Scientists and Seventh Day Adventists (I would imagine Quakers too, Dave?) who know for a fact that as outsider Christian groups, they are first up against the wall if the Dobsons and Falwells get their way.
I agree with you completely that whatever gender a competent city manager decides to be should not determine his/her employability. I would be concerned about anyone's ability to perform their duties after major surgery, but that should be a leave of absence, not a firing.
As a self-professed Christian, and that's really all I can lay claim to, my own sins keep me busy 24/7/365. I'm either doing 'em or repenting 'em, and hopefully the good outweighs the bad.
A significant number of religionists actually GET IT that the freedom to practice their religion comes from the glorious gift of the First Amendment to the US Constitution. And actually, separation of church and state goes back farther than that. There was this old timey Jewish preacher who said something once about render unto Caesar...
I'm so excited and supportive of this blogswarm, I can't tell you. And what is most exciting is the participation of atheist and science bloggers, who are smart and thoughtful and well, I'm just honored to be doing something with them.
Hugh Skinnerian (not verified) | 2007-03-28 17:00 |
Forgive me for the
Forgive me for the generality, Blue Gal. I'm not usually so obtuse, but in the last six years my frustration with neo-conservatives who put religion ahead of the rule of law in this country need a reality check. I appreciate the cordial response. I'm looking forward to the swarm this weekend.
Blue Gal | 2007-03-28 17:55 | It's interesting, Hugh
Mr. Blue Gal and I talked about nothing but that comment last night at dinner. My husband convinced me that in no small way, the previous comment is correct, in that if any one religion, and by that I mean denomination, not just "christians", was in the large majority, they would without hesitation pressure the government to be more religious "like them." It is the wide variety of, yes, Christian in this country, pluralities that keep individual churches in check. That does not work so well in the Bible Belt or Utah, where there ARE large religious majorities, which is why you get God Bless America license plates here in Alabama. So yeah, I can really see your point, Hugh. There is in the hearts of all sincere believers, a belief too that their way is the RIGHT way for everybody. I like to think some of us are more mature than that, but nevertheless, it may be the religious plurality of America that keeps it from becoming a Christian theocracy. Certainly these days the religious and non-religious liberties of ALL of us are threatened like never before; hence the blogswarm. Thanks and it's GREAT to be blogging with you, Hugh.
Hugh Skinnerian (not verified) | 2007-03-28 23:34 |
I couldn't agree more with
I couldn't agree more with all of the above, especially current threats to our mutual Constitutional rights. I only hope this administration has not already irrevocably compromised these rights. I shutter to think a day may come in this country when governmental trampling of the peoples' rights becomes the rule, not the exception.
-Hugh
Quakerdave | 2007-03-26 18:52 |
Blogging against theocracy.
One Quaker's take will be posted.
tng | 2007-03-26 19:19 |
Hi Quaker Dave!
Glad to have you on board.
The Wheelman | 2007-03-29 17:34 |
I'm in.
I'm planning on a real rant about the idiocy of Indiana's "In Gawd we Trust" license plates that they wasted almost the whole session trying to make them mandatory and compromising on making them a no-cost "option" when I have to pay extra for Ham Radio callsign plates.
Round and Round it Goes...
beepbeepitsme (not verified) | 2007-03-30 04:32 |
blog against theocracy
Doing mine tomorrow.
Angie (not verified) | 2007-03-30 10:23 |
Oh!
Just found out about this. A definite can do thing.
olvlzl (not verified) | 2007-04-06 18:47 |
Separation of church and state
It's hard for me to imagine that religionists can separate church and state. Religion, no matter which flavor, is at the root of their belief system and subsequently their reality and expectations of the world around them. mrbhave
As hard as it might be for you to imagine, there are many millions of religionists who are entirely in favor of the complete separation of church and state. It would be impossible for any separation to exist in the United States if that wasn't the case since a large majority of the people in the country are religious.
I'm in favor of this effort while opposing the childish manifestations of Dawkinsite and Harrisite tantrums to be seen all over the leftist blogs. That will do nothing to end the dangers of theocracy, it will drive potential allies out of a united effort to defeat the religio-fascists. It's unnecessary and childish and counterproductive. It carries the danger of handing victory to the fundamentalists while having absolutely no chance of reaching any goal of any kind.
KA (not verified) | 2007-04-07 02:54 |
Count me in on the blogswarm.
My post is up
here
Wayne Dickson (not verified) | 2007-04-07 19:37 |
Count me in!
Here's the post I put on my blog:
Separation of Church & State = Freedom
The separation of church and state does not mean the separation of religious belief from political choices. Rather, it means that believers in every religion will be free to express their own beliefs. In other words, the separation of church and state is absolutely essential to maintaining Americans’ freedom.
Obviously such separation does not deny any religious believer the right to rely on his or her faith-based values in making political decisions. Duh! Quite the contrary, it guarantees every religious believer, regardless of what his or her religion might be, the right to act freely in honoring faith-based values. (And, equally important, it guarantees the same right to those who believe in no religion whatsoever.) That’s freedom. That’s democracy.
Keep Americans free. Keep Church and State separate.
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