Today We Can Celebrate

Religious Freedom Day

Shasta on Friday from Northpoint Drive - Lumix FZ70

You may want to read the post that I got some of today’s information from, so I have provided a link; The Christian Right Does Not Want You To Know About This Day - updated

New Pie - Nikon D3300

I thought it important to share the intent of the Founding Fathers of our country when it comes to freedom from religious persecution by including some of what Thomas Jefferson actually had to say about Religious Freedom;

Poinsettia in kitchen - Nikon D3300

“Jefferson was well aware that many ... did not like the Constitution and the First Amendment, both of which sought to expand the rights of citizens and deflect claims of churches seeking special consideration.

Rosemary - Nikon D3300

So before his death, Jefferson sought to get the last word on what it meant. The Statute, he wrote, contained “within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohametan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination.”

Northpoint Drive - Nikon D3300

That is a powerful and clear statement. Jefferson, almost 200 years ago, refuted the contemporary claims of Christian Right leaders, many of whom not only insist that America was founded as a Christian nation, but that the framers really meant their particular interpretation of Christianity.”

Nikon D3300

The Update - “The web site ReligiousFreedomDay.com, which comes up first in a Google search for Religious Freedom Day is not what it seems.  The group behind it is a small California evangelical Christian Right agency called Gateways to Better Education, headed by longtime activist, Eric Buehrer. This group is part of a wider movement with a long history of efforts to hijack, or compromise, public schools in order to promote its religious views and to evangelize children.”

Lumix FZ70

While researching Religious Freedom Day I have been appalled by how the evangelistic Christian right is bombarding the media with misinformation. Preventing one religious group from  claiming America belongs to them is the whole purpose of the first amendment and Religious Freedom as described in the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.

Evangelical Christian right civic interference is treasonous and anti-Democratic.

Today’s Video;

Well Stated