I blogged yesterday about the confusion (deliberate, I'm convinced) that the American religious right seeks to create about the notion of separation of church and state. I noted, in particular, that, as its illogical and prejudice-based arguments attacking gay and lesbian human beings are increasingly checked by court rulings citing the Constitution, the religious right claims it is being shut out of the public square.
When its primary objective has been and remains to dictate what happens in the public square re: issues like civil marriage. Its primary objective is, in short, theocratic domination of the public square. Precisely what the wall separating church and state is designed to thwart . . . .
And so I'm interested (and amused) to read Timothy Kincaid's notes today at Box Turtle Bulletin about what happened when the National Organization for Marriage took its dog and pony show to Orlando this weekend. They met in a church. Where NOM executive director Brian Brown urged his tiny audience to stand for truth in the public square. Kincaid writes,
But air conditioning and a church pew were undoubtedly welcome for the 34 people who came to hear NOM. Amusingly but without even noting the irony, Brian Brown exhorted his audience – resting in the church – to stand for truth in the public square: “Each and every one of us has the responsibility to stand up for the good. This is our time to stand!”
Church as public square: that about sums up the point I wanted to critique in my posting yesterday, when I discussed Albert Mohler's contention that Judge Vaughn Walker's prop 8 ruling bars religion from the public square in the national conversation about same-sex marriage.
