Book Review: Attack of the Theocrats

“Although the detail of the formation of the American governments is at present little known or regarded either in Europe or in America, it may hereafter become an object of curiosity.  It will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the influence of Heaven…it will forever be acknowledged that these governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses.”  -John Adams

    I’ve felt a change in the air as the years have passed.  As a boy, there was a great deal of hope and longing for a future of technological advancement, world peace, and a reign of compassion and reason.  Science and evidence based reasoning were the tools we would use to build a brighter future.  It was in the literature, on the big and small screen.  We were going to space, we were curing illness, we were learning about our past (and learning from it), and we were going to clean up our planet and make things right.  But, as I entered high school in the early 90s, I got my first taste of something.  Something that had been building in the shadows of American politics for a long time.  A conscious, directed effort on the part of a faction of American Christianity had been using their considerable wealth and grass roots energy to erode basic tenants of American law, democracy, and our nation’s very spirit.  Why were we abandoning science?  Why did we start denying the facts of evolution, of climate change, of our founding fathers, and so much more?  Why were established and understood maters of science being cast aside left and right?  Why was innovation and intellectual curiosity held up as a thing of ridicule?  When did trying to get an education become ‘elitist?’  When did fair taxes, chipping in, taking care of your fellow man, coming to a consensus, etc. become ‘socialist?’

“I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law representing establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between church and state.” -Thomas Jefferson

“I believe that God wants me to be president.” -George Bush

    Sean Faircloth’s book goes into details on how this shift happened, who was behind it, what their goals were and are, and what can be done to stop them, and to wrestle the future of America back from religious extremists who want to create a theocracy in direct contradiction to the principles of the Founding Fathers and the desire of the ‘man on the streets.’  It’s a frightening, clarion call to action against the very real, and very dangerous element within our government and our civilization, who are putting our lives, the lives of our children, and the very future of our species and our planet in jeopardy.

“Reason and free inquiry are the only effectual agents against error.” -Thomas Jefferson

    Using plenty of examples, and directly calling out egregious offences against the Constitution and Bill of Rights on the part of those who so vocally claim their sanction, Faircloth does a fine job of highlighting individuals and organizations that all Americans should fight against in the name of freedom and law.  Law.  That thing that has made our country strong in the past.  Law.  The tool of justice.  Law.  The thing that keeps safe the poor and the rich, the old and the young, the minority and the majority.

And this from a very religious man.

“I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of.  My own mind is my own church.” -Thomas Paine

    If you’re worried about the direction a small number of backward looking extremists are trying to drag our country, you should take a look at this book.  If you want to see America take the lead in science and innovation again, you should read this book.  If you are tired of people claiming to be for ‘small government’ while they simultaneously try to legislate every aspect of your personal life, you should read this book.  If you’re tired of sending your tax money to support religious organizations you don’t belong to or support in any way, you should read this book.  If you're sick of hearing how our founding fathers wanted America to be a Christian nation, in spite of all the mountains of written works by those same founders to the contrary, you should read this book.  Tired of government sanctioned religion that flies in the face of our Constitution and Bill of Rights, changing our money and even our Pledge of Allegiance, in the name of their particular beliefs, you should read this book.  Are you angry to see Jefferson and Madison’s ‘separation of Church and State’ attacked time and again, except when used as an excuse for not paying taxes on massive megachurch incomes and financial double-dealings?  Are you sick to your stomach at the idea that our children are tortured and allowed to die in the name of ancient superstitions?  You should read this book.  Faircloth looks at specific examples and general trends, and shows how wrong the attempted Theocrats are, and how anti-American they really are.  Men and women who wrap themselves in the flag, while they soil everything it stands for.  Read this book.

“There is nothing which can better deserve our patronage than the promotion of science and literature.  Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness.” -George Washington


Attack of the Theocrats
Author: Sean Faircloth
Publisher: Pitchstone Publishing
ISBN: 9780984493241

(I read this as an ebook, which you can get for the Nook or Kindle)

-Matt

Like the Constitution, We’re Good Without God

    On Saturday the 24th, I traveled into DC to attend the first Reason Rally, a sort of celebration/call to action for folks like myself who believe in the rule of law and reason, as opposed to superstition, rumor, and whatever drivel Glen Beck crapped out of his mouth last night.  After having our previous President say that I wasn’t a real American, it was nice to have a bunch of patriotic fellow rationalists together in one place to show that not only are non-religious people Americans, but we’re motivated and not going away.  And I have to admit a certain swell of pride when secular members of our armed forces brought out the flags of the services and of the United States, and we collectively said the original Pledge of Allegiance.

(Not from the event, but it looked a lot like this)

    The event itself was a bit uneven, with several highs and a few dragging bits.  One nice aspect of the overall schedule was that everyone was on for only a few minutes, around 10.  This kept people from going too long for the most part, though a few people still managed to make their presentations drag somewhat.

    The highlights were Richard Dawkins, who spoke rather eloquently about some of the things that make the US Constitution as special as it is; James Randi, who is like an ancient secular leprechaun; and Adam Savage of Myth Busters.  I also enjoyed presentations by Hamant Mehta, Jamila Bey, Fred Edwards (how is this guy not in movies?), Victor Harris, and Nate Phelps (yes, related to Fred Phelps).   And host Paul Provenza was a gas.

    The first few hours were quite inspirational in a way, with a lot of call to action and encouragement for political action.  And a general call to come out of the atheist closet.  As was brought up on more than one occasion, secularists are the ‘fastest growing but least trusted minority in America.’  And chances are, we’re not trusted because a lot of people simply don’t get us.  I’ve heard on more than one occasion that it doesn’t matter what someone believes, simply that they believe in something (the implication is that that something must be a supernatural something).  I find that sentiment more than a little troubling.  But whatever, it was nice to see a whole bunch of people who think that evidence should be the basis of belief, and not old books or mystical revelations.

    One of my fellows observed that for the next event, she would prefer that things be a bit more ‘professional’ and family friendly.  I can’t disagree.  For a meeting on the national mall, I’d prefer the swearing of which there were a couple extreme patches, be kept to a minimum.  Though I agree with the Tim Minchin song lyrics, that if the F-word offends you but religious organizations protecting pedophiles doesn’t, then perhaps you should look into getting your priorities straight.  However, I still think the overall event would have been stronger had a few people kept a more polite tongue.

    As the day went on, there did end up being a few too many mid-level speakers going over the same handful of subjects that would hit the cutting room floor in a video version for sure.  It got pretty cold and rainy, I wasn’t properly dressed, and we were all getting pretty hungry.  So, after Eddie Izzard did his bit, we headed out.  Heading into the Metro station was a bloody nightmare.  It’s the busiest I’ve ever see it.  We got the idea to go back a stop and try there, but then the train ended up being crammed full of people and we figured it would be easier to just walk to our destination.  So, after a brisk walk through DC, which I enjoy doing once in a while, we ended up at the Mad Hatter, an Alice in Wonderland themed pub some of our group had heard of.  Well, for themed eateries, it was pretty lame.  The theme consisted of some movie posters and food names…the end.  That said, the food was actually pretty good and shockingly inexpensive for in town DC.

    Overall, a good day.  It gives me hope that there are still Americans out there who believe in the principles of the Constitution, not the pulpit; the rule of law, not mythology anthologies assembled by ignorant savages.  There are still people who believe in the vision of some pretty extraordinary men who understood that mixing gods and government is now and always has been a recipe for disaster.  We know what governments ruled by religion look like.  We have plenty of examples.  I’m glad  I’m not the only one who wants a return to the best of American values like E Pluribus Unum, instead of the post-War usurping ‘In God We Trust.’  And my grandfather fought fascism without needing to say ‘under God’ in his pledge, so why can’t we?  If you want to live in a country where religion is more important than reason and law, I’m sure Saudi Arabia is nice this time of year.

-Matt

    On a personal note, though I don’t understand it, I don’t actually have a problem with people who hold religious beliefs.  But like sex, I think it should be kept behind closed doors and among consenting adults.  And again like sex, if clubhouses are set up for its practice, they should be taxed like any other business (and if you don’t think religion is a business, you’re only fooling yourself).