Yes, Virginia, the American Theocracy has arrived.

[cleanhippie]

Republicans vote to ban contraception in Missouri for religious reasons

Republicans in Missouri have voted to overturn the veto of Democratic Governor Jay Nixon that will now legally allow "religious" and "moral" exemptions in health insurance policies. Democrats are calling it an assault on women, and Republicans say it allows people to not be forced to deny their faith.

What is at issue, however, is not the faith of those who don't believe in contraception but rather how the religious beliefs of legislators will now be forced on citizens of Missouri. The Republican battle cry is that of religious freedom, but they seem to forget about the religious freedom guaranteed to all citizens, and that freedom includes protecting citizens from religious zealots.

The veto vote went completely down party lines, passing the Missouri House 109 - 45. 109 votes is the minimum amount needed to overturn a veto. The Senate also approved the measure 26 - 6.

Many Democratic lawmakers believe this move by Republicans will cost the state in the long run, and will make Missouri vulnerable to the now inevitable lawsuits where citizens will sue based upon being discriminated for religious reasons.

http://www.examiner.com/article/republicans-vote-to-ban-contraception-missouri-for-religious-reasons?cid=db_articles

Many of our liberal believers here like to say that the religious right is nothing more than a very vocal minority. To that I saw HOGWASH! We are losing, or have lost already, pieces of our country to religious zealots, and the only hope of stopping them is for liberal believers to get out in front. Not because one's religion inspires them, but because its the right thing to do.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Yes, it has.

[CanonRay]

2. Well, we've lost in Missouri, anyway

How the hell can the house be 109-45 and the Senate 26-6 in a state that has a Dem (admittedly bluedog) Senator and is in play in the Presidential election. Makes no sense to me. Is everything but St. Louis Republican?

[panzerfaust]

3. Puritans (and their successors) Understood "Freedom of Religion" to Mean ...

... the Freedom to Force everyone to accept THEIR religion.

Before anyone attempts to defend the supposed religious toleration of our founders, one might want to review how Providence Rhode Island came to be ...

God Bless America - His current Main Squeeze.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

7. Just as religious conservatives understand individual freedom

to mean "You have an absolute right to do anything I approve of."

[rug]

4. Hyperbole makes poor politics.

The law exempts employers from providing contraception coverage in health insurance policies on religious grounds. It doesn't "ban contraception".

It's a bad law but it's far from theocracy.

[dmallind]

5. It specifically provides for religion to override laws that otherwise apply to all

What better definition of theocracy exists? Religion - theism - has the power = theocracy.

[rug]

6. No it doesn't. It provides a specific exemption from a specific statute for a specific reason.

If anything, it acknowledges human conscience more than divine law.

And you think that equals Saudi Arabia?

If it indeed banned - or required - contraception, you might have a point, but it doesn't.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

8. And the reason is "I don't like it for religious reasons"

Therefore, I can force you to live by the dictates of MY religion, not yours.

No, it is the opposite of religious freedom. As I said above, to religious conservatives, "You have the freedom to do as you want" actually means "you have the freedom to do as you want, just as long as I approve of what you are doing." In other words, they do not approve of individual freedom, including freedom of religion.

[rug]

9. Conscience clauses, of any type, are far different from imposing beliefs.

[SarahM32]

10. Theocracy first came in 1607, many times since, and particularly since 1981.

First it was the Theocracy of King James in Jamestown and the Virginia Colony, and even though Thomas Jefferson made some pretty damn good efforts to establish freedom of religion and freedom from Theocracy, it has revived its ugly head many times.

The most recent revival began in 1980 as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson rose to political prominence supporting Ronald Reagan, and it's gone down hill ever since.

Read Why the "Religious Right" Is Wrong.
.