90º Degrees to the Left: Religion has no place in Washington

The last name Santorum, literally means all saints in Latin. Apparently, Rick Santorum takes his last name at heart, the only problem is that he is no saint and if he is, he certainly is playing in the wrong field.

For starters, the United States is and has always been a secular country. All these false "patriots" that keep claiming that God should be "reinstated" in all governmental buildings and included in all governmental mandates are simply lying. The Founding Fathers of this great nation made sure that religion was not part of government, after all, not of the Founding Fathers believed in God – I bring this up because these false "patriots" keep talking about what our Founding Fathers wanted, specially Santorum, they keep talking about honoring the Constitution yet, the original Constitution says just the contrary of what they and Santorum, are so vehemently and falsely claiming.

For those of you that have never read the Constitution of the United States (the original, as written by our Founding Fathers and therefore the “holy” one) the only time that the word religion is mentioned it’s to precisely refute it, this is verbatim the only time it’s mentioned (in a few different places, but exactly the same paragraph): “The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” They made sure that religion was not necessary to hold a position within the government of this country.

The original Oath or Affirmation, as given to George Washington, reads as follows: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

It is said that George Washington added in his inauguration the words “So help me God”, but there is no record to confirm or deny this… Regardless of who added it, it was not in the original Oath emphasizing the separation of Church and State.

Further, we find in the original Bill of Rights, signed in December 15th, 1791, the First Amendment to the Constitution, the very first, which must have meant that it was categorically the most important amendment of all which again makes sure of this separation by affirming: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Yet, the Republicans keep insisting in bringing God into government and claiming that it is what our Founding Fathers wanted, nothing could be further from the truth. They either have never read the Constitution, The Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights or, just as it happens with the Bible, they have decided to ‘interpret’ them as best suits them. But unlike the Bible that is full of riddles and parables, these documents are written in plain English for all to understand, without a doubt, what their intentions were.

The Founding Fathers were not all Christians. When Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, he wrote it with the Revolution in mind, making sure that the feelings of the people at the time were forever engraved in that document. He made sure that freedom, equality and self-determination was to be included. Not a word about religion can be found in it. The reason might have been that Thomas Jefferson himself was not too fond of religion; he went as far as writing a book called “The Jefferson Bible” where he compiled passes from the Bible excluding all the miracles and supernatural events that is abundantly found in it. He admired Jesus’ teachings, but didn’t believe in all the hocus-pocus that in many cases overshadows these teachings instead of exalting them. But again, Republicans keep saying the Founding Fathers were Christians and God fearing men… they weren’t, at least not all of them.

Now, we find ourselves being assaulted by the Right and their never ending pursue to bring religion (their religion) into government. Rick Santorum is talking about the devil and Christ as if he was running for the clergy instead of the most important position in the United States and the world! It amazes me that one of the best presidents we ever had, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, was also a Catholic but, unlike Santorum, Kennedy understood that his religion – or any religion for that matter – had no place in public office. Who doesn’t remember his famous words: “I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote; where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference; and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the president who might appoint him or the people who might elect him.” That is what a President should be like, that is what an Americans should demand.

Santorum, a religious fanatic that is campaigning as if all Americans were Catholics or Christians – he dreams of being the President that will force all Americans to believe in what he believes in, some sort of a religious tyranny; Kennedy, a man that worshipped privately but had the decency of not mixing the divine with the mundane, not mixing God and Government, Religion and Politics. That is the difference between the Right and the Left, between the irrational and the reasonable.

Rick Santorum, do America a favor, honor the Constitution and practice your religion where you should – your church, and allow all the American citizens to practice what they belief in or not, as the case might be.

“Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State.”