NP speaking of religion Fwd: Scary stuff from the religious right

[Doug Millison]

If you need a Pynchon hook, recall Rev. Cherrycoke's Hindu reference.

>Contact: Joseph Conn or Rob Boston 202-466-3234 phone, 202-466-2587 fax
>http://www.au.org
>
>RELIGIOUS RIGHT GROUP'S ATTACK ON HINDU PRAYER IN CONGRESS 'REEKS OF
>RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY,' SAYS AU
>
>FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL SAYS ONLY CHRISTIANITY DESERVES GOVERNMENT
>SUPPORT
>
>The Family Research Council's scurrilous attack on a Hindu priest's
>prayer
>in the U.S. House of Representatives "reeks of religious bigotry," said
>Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a watchdog group
>that
>monitors the Religious Right.
>
>Venkatachalapathi Samuldrala, a Hindu priest with the Shiva Vishnu
>Temple
>in Parma, Ohio, made history on Sept. 14 by becoming the first Hindu
>religious leader to offer an invocation before a session of Congress.
>
>In response to the prayer, the Family Research Council, the most
>prominent
>Religious Right lobbying group in Washington, D.C., disparaged religious
>
>pluralism and said only Christianity deserves government support in this
>
>week's edition of the group's CultureFacts newsletter.
>
>"(W)hile it is true that the United States of America was founded on the
>
>sacred principle of religious freedom for all," the FRC wrote, "that
>liberty was never intended to exalt other religions to the level that
>Christianity holds in our country's heritage."
>
>The group added, "Our Founders expected that Christianity -- and no
>other
>religion -- would receive support from the government as long as that
>support did not violate peoples' consciences and their right to worship.
>They
>would have found utterly incredible the idea that all religions,
>including
>paganism, be treated with equal deference."
>
>The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, said an
>attack such as this is telling about the Religious Right's regard for
>non-Christian religious minorities.
>
>"The FRC's attack reeks of religious bigotry," Lynn said. "Despite years
>
>of claiming support for religious liberty, the truth has come out. This
>is an
>outrageous act of prejudice and it should be condemned by decent people
>everywhere."
>
>The FRC, a spin-off of James Dobson's Focus on the Family, went on to
>describe "religious pluralism" as leading to "moral relativism and
>ethical
>chaos," while approving of tolerance that "embraces biblical truth while
>
>allowing freedom of conscience."
>
>"As for our Hindu priest friend, the United States is a nation that has
>historically honored the One True God," the FRC's newsletter concluded.
>"Woe be to us on that day when we relegate Him to being merely one among
>
>countless other deities in the pantheon of theologies."
>
>Responded AU's Lynn, "Sounds like our 'friends' at the FRC need to go
>back
>to a high school history class. And while they're at it, maybe they
>should
>stop by a kindergarten class to learn something about respect for
>people's
>differences.
>
>"It is truly rare, even within the Religious Right, to see a group
>display
>simultaneously such a poor understanding of history and a remarkable
>lack
>of respect for religious diversity," Lynn continued. "Usually, profound
>ignorance like this is commonly found in the 18th, not the 21st,
>century.
>
>"Contrary to the FRC's views, there are no second-class religions in
>America," Lynn added. "Hindus, Muslims, Jews and other non-Christian
>faiths are equal in the eyes of the law."
>
>Lynn pointed to the words of Thomas Jefferson, a leading figure in the
>development of religious freedom in America. In his autobiography,
>Jefferson said that the concept of religious liberty was "meant to
>comprehend,
>within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the
>Christian
>and
>the Mohometan, the Hindu, and the infidel of every denomination."
>
>Lynn said, "The FRC has thoroughly embarrassed itself. Unfortunately,
>their bigotry probably blinds them as to why they should be embarrassed
>at
>all.
>
>"Despite the FRC's ridiculous rhetoric, the truth remains the United
>States was founded on principles that embraced all people, regardless of
>their
>religious tradition," Lynn concluded. "That's why our Founding Fathers
>insisted on a separation of church and state, to protect the rights of
>everyone without governmental aid or interference."
>
>Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in
>Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization represents 60,000
>members
>and
>allied houses of worship in all 50 states.
>
>____________________________________________
>Beth Corbin
>National Grassroots Organizer
>Americans United for Separation of Church and State
>518 C Street, N.E.
>Washington, D.C.  20002
>PH:   202-466-3234
>FAX:  202-466-2587
>corbin at au.org
>AUcorbin at aol.com
>http://www.au.org

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