At first glance, it would appear that I have spent much of this semester as a columnist ragging on God.
In actuality, for the most part I have been discussing religion and some of the problems it causes.
With Christmas and the holidays just around the corner, I’m not in the mood to be blasphemous.
Oh, fine. What the hell.
In Kentucky, a homeland security law lists God as security defense first before mentioning other tasks like distributing millions of dollars in federal grants and discovering possible threats.
What? Kentucky has a homeland security office? Alas, they do.
In Kentucky’s defense, many cultures have asked God to help protect their land. It’s clearly the only way to keep a tornado from ripping through the tobacco crop, thereby ravaging Kentucky’s economy.
Even so, a group of atheists have filed to get the phrase that says the security of Kentucky “cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon almighty God” out of the law. The office also planned to stress God in training and educational manuals.
It’s often said America was founded as a Christian nation, therefore allowing lawmakers to stress the importance of God within government.
To make my point, here are a few quotes from those very Christian forefathers we love so much:
"As to religion, I hold it to be the indispensable duty of government to protect all conscientious protesters thereof, and I know of no other business government has to do therewith," Thomas Paine wrote in his 1776 book “Common Sense.”
“Lighthouses are more helpful than churches,” said Benjamin Franklin, who also mentioned, “In the affairs of the world, men are saved, not by faith, but by the lack of it.”
These respected men, although tolerant of religion, wanted a government free from it.
When Kentucky mentions God as the foremost defense against terrorism, it’s sort of a slap in the face to their American ideals.
While states can basically do what they want to protect their citizens, I can’t help but think how ineffective a defense God actually is. It seems to me, in a situation with bombs and guns, having all of Kentucky on their knees praying seems like an awfully easy target.
God in the Christian sense is all-knowing, all-seeing and is doing everything at any moment to ensure everything goes “correctly.”
If you’re praying to God to please make the enemy go away, to kill them and their beliefs, odds are it’s going to take a little while for “him” to answer. He is, after all, controlling the universe and all. And who’s to say he’s actually on Kentucky’s side anyway?
In America, we have this belief, God is on our side, whether we’re right or wrong. Under the Ten Commandments, the Judeo-Christian God says, “You shall not murder.” Not that you shall not murder, except under war and self-defense; you shall not murder at all.
So during these hard times when it comes to protecting one’s own land, it’s conceivable for Kentuckians to use God and prayer as a second line of defense on a personal level. The fact of the matter is America is not a Christian nation, no matter how hard some people wish it to be. Pray on your own time, but when it comes to Kentucky’s first line of defense (as if they’ll ever need one), I suggest intelligence and, in immediate need, weapons. Call me crazy.
Allowing this law to stand as it currently does is an infringement on the rights of those who hold no belief in the “Almighty God” — no matter which God that actually is. Kentucky lawmakers can pray all they want on their own time, and knowing Kentucky’s demographic, odds are the citizens will anyway.
If God is actually on Kentucky’s side, he knows it. The powers of prayerful persuasion are unlikely to convince him otherwise, and neither is man’s law.
After all, doesn’t God’s law trump man’s law anyway, according to most in Kentucky?
What was that thing Barack Obama said about clinging to guns and religion in hard times again?
Christina is bidding adieu to The State Press. It’s been a pleasure. Love letters can be sent to christina.caldwell@asu.edu.
