Deru

Lawmakers in the State of Connecticut recently attempted to propose a law that would have effectively cancelled the First Amendment of the Constitution.  Worded in a way that made it seem benign in nature on the surface, Bill No. 1098 sought to remove financial control of Catholic parishes from the Catholic Church handing it over to the State.  In an attempt to reduce possible outrage from the church, its members and the general public, misleading wording was placed into the law: "Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit, restrict or derogate from any power, right, authority, duty or responsibility of the bishop or pastor in matters pertaining exclusively to religious tenets and practices." 

The State of Connecticut is known as the Constitution State.  How ironic that they so easily declare war on the very Constitution of which they are supposedly so proud.  One wonders at the motivation behind such an overt attack on one of the most sacrosanct rights of the United States.  According to Senator Andrew McDonald, the proposed bill was written by a group of concerned and faithful Catholics who “requested the bill be given a public hearing.”

This is an apparent reference to a fringe group of parishioners of the St. John’s Church located in Darien which had been the focus of a recent scandal resulting in the conviction of their homosexual pastor for embezzlement.  Senator McDonald claims that the group, Voice of the Faithful, had written the entire bill and submitted it for debate.  Unless the group’s members are lawyers, which is doubtful as no respectable lawyer would involve himself in such an endeavor, the manner in which the bill is written suggests that Connecticut lawmakers had a hand in the verbiage. 

In spite of the language of the bill suggesting that the State would in no way interfere with the manner in which the church leadership conducts worship and spiritual teaching, the opportunity for corruption is clear.  The law would require that a Board be created and incorporated to handle the financial aspects of the church.  This board now holds the purse strings. He who holds the purse strings controls the church.  If a board member decides to take issue with the message delivered by the church, it would be a simple task to withhold funding until a new doctrine is delivered to the masses.  Of course, the State gaining control of the board would be an easy matter using existing tax laws and a small amount of pressure. 

This unsuccessful attempt by the State of Connecticut to take control of religion was fortunately committed by lawmakers with little wit and less spine. At the first sign of scandal they backed down even if only temporarily.  If this had been proposed by a popular politician with fortitude, it may have been successful.  However, it did accomplish something for the enemies of Freedom; it gave them an accurate reading of the reaction of the People toward an attempt to take away their religion.  As long as the people can continue to keep up that resistance, the enemy will have to continue to postpone their nefarious plans. 

This “foot in the door” law would have set a most dangerous precedent.  If this had been successful it would have set the groundwork for which the enemies of Freedom have been waiting.  Within a matter of a few years, this law would have been expanded to cover all churches making religion a weapon of the government.  The government is not dumb enough to outlaw religion as it is a salve to sooth the restless souls of disheartened people.  Instead, they would have used it to control the people.  Threaten to take away the people’s religion, and a noncompliant citizenry suddenly becomes docile.  Religion then becomes a Gift from the government.  What the government giveth, the government can taketh away. 

Eventually, within a decade or so, churches would quietly begin to shut down due to “tax evasion” or some such excuse.  The State would then stop allowing churches to incorporate.  Eventually, the numbers of churches would diminish to zero. 

At the same time, government sponsored propaganda would suddenly begin to espouse a State sponsored pseudo-religion.  This would be used as a “bandage” to help wean the people off of the need to depend on religion for their spiritual and moral guidance.  Of course, this pseudo-religion would offer its own morality that would be in line exactly with the way the State requires people to conduct their lives.  When there are no longer any competing religions, and only one State sponsored religion, the country then becomes a Theocracy.  History and current events tell us exactly what can be expected from a Theocracy.  Oppression.  Total and complete oppression.  One has only to look to Iran for confirmation.

As the world moves intractably toward a single governmental system, is it such a stretch to think that a single unifying religion sponsored by the State would be used as a tool to help facilitate its implementation?  Is it so hard to see the systematic method which the enemies of Freedom are using to achieve that goal?  I am sure that it is inevitable that the world will eventually come under the governance of one flag.  The question we need to ask ourselves is; do we want that flag to represent Freedom as we know it in America or “freedom” as it is dictated to us by a totalitarian theocratic State. 

It has become obvious over the past couple of decades that the government of the United States wants to increase its power at the expense of the People’s Freedom.  This was a weak attack, a probing attack, so to speak.  However, since the attacks of 9/11 on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the government has used fear of possible future attacks against America to consolidate its power.  Passing laws like the Patriot Act has let them accomplish this to a large degree.  However, they have met stiff resistance over the two issues that would allow them absolute control over the populace; Freedom of Religion and the Right to Bear Arms. 

Americans have a duty to stand and fight for their Freedom.  From this point on, the attacks are going to come more frequently and with greater vigor and zeal.  We The People MUST meet that vigor with the strongest of resistance.  We must understand that we are engaged in a war against the enemies of Freedom.  We must consolidate our power just as our enemies have.  For now, we still have the upper hand.  However, the government is slowly gaining ground and the number of people willing to fight for the cause of Freedom is rapidly diminishing.  If we do not move to change this the fight will be lost and Freedom will become something our children will only learn about in State sponsored history books