And Out Comes the Crazy

Politics in the US provide me with many pet peeves, and cause me endless days of frustration.  The current Republican primary cycle has obviously given me so much material to work with that I often can't decide what bothers me more.  For today, I'm going to go with the American hypocritical fascination with religion in government.  I could cite endless speeches and positions by Republican candidates complaining and fear-mongering about the influence of Islam on politics.  They call Iran evil in part because it is a state who's laws are founded on religious text and tradition.  They warn us of the "creeping influence" of Shariah law in the US.  Well that's fine and dandy.  I would have no problem congratulating them on their support for the separation of church and state, as I believe that one person should not have the right to legislate their religious or moral codes on others through government.  But I can't support them.  Why?

Rick Santorum, that's why.

Well not only him, but the side of the GOP that he represents.  The same politicians that decry Islam in government turn around and proclaim that the US is a Christian nation and that our government policies should be in line with those values.  Opposition to birth control? Anti-abortion legislation?  Opposition to gay marriage? All of these stem from the Christian values they promote.  Why is wrong from Iran to be run by religious authority, but it is only right that the US be run by a fundamental God-fearing Christian?  Now before someone starts to go off on be about the differences between Islam and Christianity, I want to point out that fundamentalism on either side provides for many of the same results.  Islam created the Burqa.  Christianity created Rush Limbaugh calling a woman a slut and prostitute for being in favor of birth control.  Both result in male-dominated sexism, bigotry, and intolerance.  Now, as a disclaimer, I am not trying to say all religion is evil, bigoted, or whatever.  I am not here telling everyone to drop their beliefs and become atheist.  I am simply trying to point out hypocrisy and show the danger of fundamentalism in any form.  As a fun conclusion, I send you here.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/02/29/grand_ayatollah_or_grand_old_party?page=0%2C0