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| Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash |
State political parties building Christian extremism into their platform? You betcha! Requiring taxpayers to fund private Christian schools? Yes, please! Reproductive freedom? That's gone. Coerced prayer in public school? It's back! Contraception and same-sex marriage? Stay tuned.
In case you aren't familiar with the references above, you can learn more here:
- About that Texas Republican platform
- Supreme Court Forces Maine to Fund Christian Schools, Undoing Centuries of Precedent
- Roe v. Wade Was Overturned Because of Christian Extremism
- Supreme Court Upholds Football Coach's Prayer Rights; Repudiates the "Lemon Test"
Is anybody else less than thrilled to find ourselves racing toward a Christian theocracy? I have to admit it is impressive how quickly they've managed to erase so much secular progress. It isn't like we haven't seen this coming. And whether they've defeated us or we've defeated ourselves, the result is the same. There will be dark times ahead for non-religious folks who value democracy and human rights.
It is normal to feel demoralized in light of recent events. But all is not lost. Not yet. We can still organize. We can choose to embrace secular activism and support imperfect organizations. We can become more politically active than we've ever been now that we see what is at stake. We can each decide to be a thorn in someone's side, an irritating reminder that this is unacceptable. We can enter the fight.
Or we can change nothing, boiling like a frog who doesn't detect the rising temperature until it is too late. We can accept our fate and go about the business of adjusting to life in a Christian theocracy. We can hope they won't come for the atheists, but we know better.
I'm not interested in living in a conservative Christian theocracy. I'm not willing to allow others to decide what rights I have based on their interpretation of Christianity. I hope you aren't either.
What's next? I hope the answer includes a renewed commitment to secular activism. We need it now more than ever. If we wish to preserve our secular democracy, now is the time to do so.
