It just goes to show that the Republican party doesn't have a lock on the crazy Christofascist  paradigm.

Illinois House Panel Criticizes deputy Governor in hearing on $1 million grant to school
Representative tries to put the fear of God in Atheist
Rep. Monique Davis to atheist Rob Sherman: `It’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists!'
RobSherman.com
Rep Monique Davis - Wikipedia

Audio of the Exchange( From the Tribune )

Contact Information For Representative Monique Davis (D-Chicago)

Ms. Davis Email Address: mdavis@hdsmail.state.il.us
                                                mdavis2147@aol.com

Did you hear about the state legislator who last week blasted a Lutheran minister during a committee hearing for spewing dangerous religious superstitions, and then attempted to order the minister out of the witness chair on the grounds that his Christian beliefs are "destroying what this state was built upon"?

Of course you didn't, because it didn't happen and would never happen. Not to a Christian, not to a Jew, not to a Muslim or to anyone who subscribes to any faith.


Davis: I don’t know what you have against God, but some of us don’t have much against him. We look forward to him and his blessings. And it’s really a tragedy -- it’s tragic -- when a person who is engaged in anything related to God, they want to fight. They want to fight prayer in school.

I don’t see you (Sherman) fighting guns in school. You know?

I’m trying to understand the philosophy that you want to spread in the state of Illinois. This is the Land of Lincoln. This is the Land of Lincoln where people believe in God, where people believe in protecting their children.… What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous, it’s dangerous--

Sherman: What’s dangerous, ma’am?

Davis: It’s dangerous to the progression of this state. And it’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists! Now you will go to court to fight kids to have the opportunity to be quiet for a minute. But damn if you’ll go to [court] to fight for them to keep guns out of their hands. I am fed up! Get out of that seat!

Sherman: Thank you for sharing your perspective with me, and I’m sure that if this matter does go to court---

Davis: You have no right to be here! We believe in something. You believe in destroying! You believe in destroying what this state was built upon.

You will no doubt note that Mr. Sherman was polite and calm through the whole exchange with the Christofascist . Something I'm glad with because I likely would have reacted with a lot less composure myself. Dealing with religious fascists isn't a time to lose your cool. Sherman's web page has some good references not only to the US Constitution but to the Illinois state constitution which says:

Section 3: No person shall be required to attend or support any ministry 
or place of worship against his consent, nor shall any preference be given 
by law to any religious denomination or mode of worship.

Of course it also says in that very same section:

The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination, shall forever be guaranteed, and no person shall be denied any civil or political right, privilege or capacity, on account of his religious opinions;

With the documents founding both this nation and the state of Illinois being so very clear on the issue. The governor should not be giving public tax dollars to any religious institution for any reason. It doesn't matter if the majority in the state happened to be Christians. Everybody pays into the tax pool and Representatives such as Ms. Davis are supposed to represent the interests of all their constituents. The operative question would have to be why does Rep Monique Davis ( D-Illinois ) hate America? Another question would also be if she's so much for God, why does she not listen to his teachings?

Matthew 6:6 - And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

And since she had to take an oath of office to become a Representative in the first place:

Matthew 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne

[REDACTED - Not because I disagree with it but because it is distracting from the issue] Mr. Sherman has every right to stand before whatever state or federal governmental body and get the redress of grievances guaranteed to him by the US Constitution. He also has the right to pursue whatever belief system or philosophy or lack there of that he might wish , also as guaranteed to him by the US Constitution.

The bottom line is that this country is not a Christian theocracy. It is also not China. It is not Saudi Arabia. It is not Iran. This is a constitutional republic wherein every man and woman has same right to liberty and no one can be told "You have no right to be here, get out of that seat!". Even if the state of Illinois suddenly decided that Atheists had no place in it, their Constitution is trumped by the US Constitution. Which despite what Injustice Scalia says, does not exclude those who do not believe as citizens.

No one has the right to force you to pray to any deity let alone force your children to. Religious expression is personal and guaranteed to EVERY man, woman, and child in this nation. Mr. Sherman wasn't trying to take away anyone's right to pray, indeed by the very documents that formed this land he CAN'T because he doesn't have the power to. If a child or teacher wants to pray at any time of the day, so long as they are not disruptive for the rest of the students they are guaranteed the right to pray. The teacher just cannot LEAD the class in prayer.

The truth is that the alleged dangers of his philosophy wasn't the issue before body. Nor was the issue whether or not he had a problem with god. Or if god was swell. The issue was that in deliberate opposition to the Illinois state constitution the Governor was attempting to give a million dollars in public taxpayer money to a church. Granted this sort of nonsense has been going on at the federal level since the Faith Based Initiatives office was formed. But even there, it is illegal and unconstitutional to do so. This man was merely testifying to this fact and a right wingnut ( and a Democrat in this case ) decided to open up her big mouth and make it clear that she believes that only people subscribe to her particular belief system are acceptable to her.

If it were the case that Atheists should have no rights, then it would say so in the US Constitution. You can claim that 'One national under God' BS until you're blue in the face. The Constitution doesn't say that and with luck it never will. Because you cannot have true freedom in anything unless you have the freedom to make any choice you wish. Having some random governmental type tell you that you have to be a Baptist or a Wicca or a Taoist or an Atheist is NOT freedom. It is oppression.

This is the same BS that Atheists, Agnostics and people of religions that the majority religion do not approve of, face from many quarters. We are screamed at. We are harassed. We are preached to. We are attacked in the media. We have our homes and our vehicles defaced and vandalized. We are denied the same rights and privileges that every other citizen enjoys. There are cases where the children of Atheists have had to leave school districts because of harassment and physical attacks, not just by other children but by school administrators! We have even had Presidents tell us that they did not believe that Atheists should be counted as US Citizens. If the positions had been reversed and Mr. Sherman had condemned Ms Davis there would have been a tremendous uproar. Yet from this situation we hear not a peep.

This is not the way America was supposed to be. Freedom is for all men and women in this country. Not just those who fit into the acceptability range of the largest group. Representative Davis should be condemned for her actions if not her attitude towards an entire segment of the populace. She may hold whatever belief she wishes but when she publicly attacks someone like that she should be ashamed of herself and should come forward and apologize for her statements. There is no place in America for this kind of bigotry.

Special thanks to PZ Meyers at Pharyngula for the heads up on this situation.

x posted to my lj: eiredrake