Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!duke!unc!tim From: tim@unc.UUCP (Tim Maroney) Newsgroups: net.religion,net.politics Subject: Life in a Judeo-Christian State Message-ID: <5946@unc.UUCP> Date: Wed, 28-Sep-83 22:12:38 EDT Article-I.D.: unc.5946 Posted: Wed Sep 28 22:12:38 1983 Date-Received: Sun, 2-Oct-83 02:04:28 EDT Lines: 125 Xref: dummy dummy:1 X-OldUsenet-Modified: added Xref Recently I have been going on a campaign of contacting religious groups which advocate "turning this nation around", i.e., making the U.S. a Judeo-Christian nation rather than the nasty secular humanist society they say it is now. I tend to ask a series of very specific questions dealing with what life will be like in this proposed system for those of us outside the Judeo-Christian tradition. For instance, as a witch, would I be able to live without worrying that my job, my children, or my home would be taken away from me? If I were to be sent to prison for some crime, would my chances for parole depend on whether or not I was a good Christian girl? Would I be able to teach in public schools, or run for public office? In short, would I enjoy the same freedoms that born-again Christians enjoy in the current "secular humanist" society? Originally, I considered these questions strictly rhetorical. I naively believed that these Christians would not advocate the restriction of someone's freedom on the basis of religion. Then I began to notice that I was not getting any answers. The young man from Maranatha Ministries who was passing out a newsletter advocating a Judeo-Christian nation hemmed and hawed for a few minutes before telling me that "it didn't matter" what my position in this future society was, as long as I eventually "turned to Christ". A young woman from the same organization refused to reply to my questions at all, saying she hadn't really thought much about it. I decided to get in touch with some of the more famous organizations. I called the 700 Club. The young man who answered the phone was very polite. He told me that my questions were very good and offered to send me some literature. He did not answer any of my questions, and I had already read most of the literature he offered me. (Tim LaHaye's "Battle for the Mind" and C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity") I had less success when I called the PTL Club. The fellow who answered the phone did not want to talk, so I asked him to send me some literature. "What about?" he asked. "The legal position of non-Judeo-Christians in a Judeo-Christian America," I replied. He said he would get right on it and took down my name and address. The other day I received a letter from PTL congratulating me on having "accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal saviour" and recommending a local minister I could get in touch with. This unwillingness to answer what are very simple questions makes me nervous, and it leads me to suspect the worst. Therefore, judging from conversations I have had with some born-again Christians, the literature they have written on the subject, and the views they have expressed on their television shows, here is my vision of what life in a Judeo-Christian America would be like. The first people to feel the effects of the new order would be those groups which would be the easiest and safest to attack -- homosexuals, people involved with the radical left, and people involved in the occult or "cults". The homosexuals would be the simplest to destroy. They would simply be driven back underground by the threat of felony convictions or, at the least, the loss of their jobs, homes, and families. The radical left would have to be handled with more care. After all, McCarthyism almost did for red-baiting what Hitler did for anti-Semitism. While not faced with actual imprisonment, someone who admitted to being a Communist or a Socialist would find job opportunities limited and their movements watched. People who were not members of the state-sponsored religions would be fair game. After all, even now "de-programming" is advocated by many Christian groups. No doubt a thriving private de-programming business will be established and de-programming centers set up, "rehabilitating" the benighted with the good, old-fashioned methods of hard work, prayer, and sleep-deprivation. By making it government policy that the Constitution guarantees "freedom of religion" rather than "freedom from religion", the rights of atheists and agnostics to their own beliefs will be effectively removed. The children of unbelievers will be easy to spot during morning prayers at public school. Of course, it is not required that they participate in prayers. It is strictly "voluntary". There is, however, nothing to prevent a good Christian teacher from taking the poor little heathens aside and explaining to them that if they don't become Christians and pray, they will go to Hell. The teacher could even encourage the other children to witness to the child, using schoolyard peer-pressure for the glory of God. Naturally all teachers in the public schools will be Judeo-Christians by law, and if a teacher falls into the undesirable category of being a "secular humanist", she will understand that her job depends on keeping her radical views to herself. The poor are an especially vulnerable group. Welfare handouts from the state will, of course, no longer exist, but the Churches will handle charity work. Of course, those who utilize church charity will have to listen to a sermon if they wish to recieve aid, or perhaps submit to the local pastor "checking up" on them every now and then to see that they are deserving. Of course, a hefty portion of the poor will be unbelievers -- atheists, agnostics, witches, homosexuals, Communists, etc. who have lost their jobs, so requiring them to listen to Christian sermons will be doing them a favor. It will all be "voluntary". Heck, they wouldn't have to accept church charity. They could just as easily watch their children go hungry or cold. It is inevitable that certain elements among the poor will commit crimes such as prostitution or theft. These criminals can be put in prison with other lawbreakers, such as fornicators, homosexuals, stubborn witches or cultists and Sabbath breakers. Once in prison, the sky's the limit in experimenting with various methods of religious conversion. Only Judeo-Christian literature and counseling will be allowed, and the prisoners will understand that their chances for parole will depend on whether or not they have seen the light. I mean, let's be serious. Everybody knows that Christians are less likely to commit crimes than non-Christians. Since non-believers are basically sick people who deserve pity, all of these actions will be undertaken in the spirit of kindness and concern. Unbelievers will know that when the government imprisons them or restricts their activities, it is in their own best interests. They won't be FORCED to convert, only to follow the basic Christian tenets of pre-marital chastity, obedience to authority, and respect for the Sabbath. By the same token, candidates for public office won't be required to be Judeo-Christians, just to sign an oath swearing to uphold Bibical principles. Thus the non Judeo-Christian element will be rendered politically powerless without the fuss and bother of dis-enfranchisement. I have not written this article off the top of my head. A good bit of research has gone into it. I have talked to Christians who advocate a Judeo-Christian state, have read their books and watched their television network. If there are any Moral Majority Christians out there who take issue with what I have written, I ask them to get in touch with me and tell me where I am mistaken. I would also like it if they would tell me what WOULD happen to me and my family in a Judeo-Christian state. This is something I would really like to know, and the lack of response I have gotten so far is anything but reassuring. ___________ Pamela Troy c/o Tim Maroney duke!unc!tim (USENET) tim.unc@udel-relay (ARPA) The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill