Why the Christian Right Feels Entitled to Legal Protections to Impose Hate and Mooch Off Taxpayers

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/why-christian-right-feels-entitled-legal-protections-impose-hate-and-mooch-taxpayers


Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer talks to the news media February 28, 2012 in Glendale, Arizona

When it comes to homophobia, xenophobia, and other forms of reactionary drama, my old home state Arizona has a knack for taking the gold. Arizona’s recently proposed religious license-to- discriminate, vetoed by governor Jan Brewer, is merely the latest spotlight performance in a long series. Now that it’s over, most of us would like to think we can turn our attention to our laundry. Or climate change. Or whatever.

Unfortunately, the Arizona theater was just one front in a smart, broad assault on civil rights and civic duty under the guise of “religious freedom.” Copycat legislators in Missouri have garnered media attention by introducing a license-to-discriminate law modeled on Arizona’s, but, again, that is just the tip of the blitz. Elsewhere religious conservatives are quietly or boldly seizing ground, leveraging case law they have built over several decades to secure not only the right to discriminate but also financial advantages and a broad range of other entitlements

“Religious freedom” in this context, is not only the freedom to think and worship as one pleases. It is a get-out-of-jail-free card that also gives holders the right to impose their will on others and mooch off of taxpayers from a position of righteous privilege. If the “religious freedom” argument works, conservatives are betting that it will let them turn back the tide on gay rights, keep knowledge of evolutionary biology away from children and block access to family planning. They hope also to proselytize on the public dime using dollars targeted for education, aid, and national security—while leveraging nonprofit tax exemptions to maximize their real estate holdings and other investments.

Anyone who cares about personal freedom, equality or economic opportunity for women, queers, and secular Americans should be taking those aspirations seriously.

[hobbit709]

1. Because they're being persecuted and picked on. That's why.

[atreides1]

2. My definition of Christian persecution:

When they're crucified...literally!

Then they can say they're being persecuted...until then they can go pound sand!!!

[hobbit709]

3. When they start feeding them to the lions as the halftime show.

[GeorgeGist]

4. They know that they are losing.

They're burning bridges.

[malaise]

5. Were it up to me

not one single religious institution would receive a tax break.

[loudsue]

6. I'm with you, malaise. The baptist church, in particular, in the south is a political arm

of the republican party....flagrantly preaching politics from the pulpit and from the "fellowship hall".

Have I mentioned I hate the baptist church?

[Downwinder]

7. Freedom to hate.