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A theocracy is a government ruled by religious authority -- like, say, Iran, or the Taliban. America is a democracy. Yet our president and those advisers with whom he has chosen to surround himself seek systematically and surreptitiously to impose their restrictive and intolerant religious agenda upon the rest of us, at the expense of our freedoms: including freedom of religion and freedom from religion. They are quietly but relentlessly attempting to replace our democracy with their theocracy. They seek to implement any pseudo-legal means necessary, no matter how dubious or questionable, to achieve their ends. We must be firm in our stand against such inroads to our basic liberty. There is no church in state.

One could say that a rallying cry for this extreme conservative movement is reminiscent of a rallying cry often heard at football games. The new education secretary would gut funding for public schools in favor of largely unregulated charter schools run by businesses whose primary goal is profit. This hurts disadvantaged children in the inner cities ("Push 'em back!") further limiting their chances to escape poverty through education ("Shove 'em back!").

The nominee for the Supreme Court sided with Hobby Lobby, allowing their religious beliefs to override any moral imperative to allow women access to contraception in the health care ("Way back!"). Our president is urging the Senate to invoke a "nuclear option" to force through his confirmation. We have a president and a Republican legislature that seek to eliminate affordable health care, but conveniently neglect to provide a viable alternative ("Push 'em back!"). We have a Supreme Court nominee who these extreme religious conservatives hope will provide the crucial vote to eliminate legal access to abortion ("On your back!") all because it doesn't fit with their intolerant, judgmental, misogynist religious credo.

This is an extremist religious group who will cheerfully slam and nail shut the public bathroom door that had ever so briefly been set ajar for the transgender person ("Push 'em back!"). Our president has already signed away any obligation on the part of the Federal Housing Administration to lower insurance premiums on FHA mortgages ("Way back!").

There is no church in state, yet our president would end political limits on churches, disingenuously insisting that these limits are a restriction of religious freedom when in reality he is opening the door wide to the conservative religious zealots to exert more influence. It is a step closer to a conservative theocracy. These religious extremists are anti-education, anti-poor, anti-children, anti-women. All in the name of their religious beliefs ("Push 'em back!").

How can such intolerant and restrictive views get a free pass when cloaked in spurious religious clothing? Why must religious extremists of all ilks (Christian and Muslim alike) seek to outlaw, constrain, suppress and silence those who do not agree with them? Why must they force their unwanted canonical knowledge on the rest of us, depriving us of our freedom to live our lives as we choose?

The United States is a motley crew, a multitude of social mores, but this conservative religious movement is a movement of less. Less freedom, less liberty, less opportunity, less tolerance. This is movement against all of us who have different views and different hues, yet who love our country as much as the next person; we are all America's cheerleaders.

As a democracy, we must rejoice, celebrate and learn from our differences, not fear, vilify or eliminate them. We must remain respectful, tolerant and understanding of all: conservative and liberal alike, no matter the income, lifestyle, race, religion or creed. There is no church in state. We must stand firm in this, or we risk losing much of what truly makes this country great.

Deborah DiMicco lives and works in Newtown.

Originally posted here:
No church in state: A democracy, not a theocracy - Bucks County Courier Times