In South Carolina, Rep. Tim Scott will soon take over Senator Jim DeMint‘s Senate seat. (Sorry, Herb Silverman!)

While it’s not surprising that Scott holds conservative views like both DeMint and Governor Nikki Haley (who appointed him), it’s worth looking into his views on church/state separation…

Turns out he doesn’t give a damn about it.

When he was on the Charleston County Council in the late 1990s, he posted the Ten Commandments outside their building, only to be sued by the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. At the time, Scott was willing to waste an unlimited amount of taxpayer money to defend his actions:

“I’ve always said and remain in this position: Whatever it costs in the pursuit of this goal (of displaying the Commandments) is worth it,” Mr. Scott said.

Thankfully, after a court sided with the good guys, the County Council settled so they wouldn’t have to pay more money in legal fees.

Earlier this year, Scott spoke at a South Carolina Tea Party conference and recalled that incident, adding that Christians are under attack:

Over the last 17 years of public service, I have seen the concept of faith tested time and time again. The greatest minority under assault today are Christians. No doubt about it. When I was on county council in 1995, I posted the Ten Commandments. And the ACLU and the folks for separation of church and state all came and attacked us at Charleston County and said we were wasting taxpayer dollars. Think about where we are today, 17 years later. We are in desperate need of a compass, a moral compass that tells us the difference between right and wrong. And I believe that you can look no further than the word of God to find that compass.

Josh Glasstetter at Right Wing Watch puts it well:

… Never mind that Christians aren’t a minority. Never mind that Christians control every branch of government at every level. Never mind that Christians aren’t under assault in any conceivable way. Still, Scott feels that Christians are a minority under assault because Christians like him are being prevented by the Constitution and other Americans — Christian and non-Christian alike — from forcing everyone to live in accordance with their extreme views and beliefs.

There is no bigotry against Christianity. What you have are a select group of Christians who want to break the rules and a growing number of people (including some Christians) who want everyone to play fairly. That’s not “assault.” That’s equality.

You know, if anyone ought to understand the concepts of being a minority and knowing what it’s like to be discriminated against, you would think it would be the first black Republican senator from the South in over a hundred years. But he doesn’t have a clue.

The fact that he, a conservative Christian, just got appointed to one of the most elite clubs in our nation hurts his own argument. It’s not like an open atheist was even seriously considered for the seat.



