Of all the animosities which have existed among mankind, those which are caused by difference of sentiment in religion appear to be the most inveterate and distressing, and ought most to be deprecated. I was in hopes that the enlightened and liberal policy which has marked the present age would at least have reconciled Christians of every denomination, so far that we should never again see their religious disputes carried to such a pitch as to endanger the peace of society.
Who wrote that? Take a guess? Do you think it was Robert Green Ingersoll? Professor Richard Dawkins? Sam Harris? Daniel Dennett? Christopher Hitchens?
It was George Washington. The remarks are contained in a letter dated June 22, 1792 that Washington addressed to Edw Newenham. (Source: United States Government Print. Off., 1931 - 1944. Volume 32, page 73.)
I do not think our first, or any subsequent president, with the possible exception of George W. Bush, would approve of positions expressed by Rick Santorum, the ex-senator from Pennsylvania who is currently the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination.
Santorum has been serving the farthest of the far right wing of the Republican Party a toxic brew of Dark Age philosophy. He makes frequent references to "the Devil" and biblical values. He opposes many human rights (e.g., gay marriage, civil unions), contraception (!), stem cell research, prenatal tests, right to die laws, science in general (environmental protections, climate change) and secularism (church/state separation) in particular.
Santorum is great for comedians, but a potential disaster for the country. I can't imagine him as the nominee of the Republican Party, but then this is the Party that gave us George W. I certainly can't imagine that anyone not on the Far Side of the extreme right would vote for him, but one never knows.
As noted, he is a boon for comedians. The other night, Bill Maher said this: It just shows you how when someone is a nobody politically speaking -- as Santorum was in 2008 -- you can say any kind of crazy shit and it's not newsworthy. But when you are seeking the highest office in the land...in the world -- it really worries me that you believe in demons and a personified creature named Satan." Santorum, not Bill Maher in a comedy routine, declared that what Satan really wants is the demise of the United States. (Source: A 2008 speech at Ave Maria University in Florida. He did not explain how he came to this insight.)
Santorum has said that our rights trace not to the U.S. Constitution but from God, specifically the Christian god. He believes the American divide is not a culture war - it's a spiritual war: Our nation's way of life is falling to evil forces...If you were Satan, who would you attack in this day and age? (Frankly, it has never occurred to me to ponder what I would do if I were Satan. But, now that I just perused the matter a bit, I think I'd vote for Santorum.)
Santorum wants to defund public education - better to school children at home, as the Founders did then and he does now. Why is Santorum so against contraception? According to Bill Maher, Because there's a line in Genesis about not spilling your seed. A random brainfart from some desert dweller 3,000 years ago, before people knew about germs or atoms or round planets, and it gets written down and passed down and in 2012 people like Rick Santorum ... believe it.
So, if you are not Satan and won't be voting for Santorum or a registered Republican qualified to vote against him in a primary somewhere down the electoral line, what can you do? Probably not a lot. Hoping for the best will do as much good as prayer, rain dances or tossing a coin into a wishing well. Of course you can write letters to the editor or write an anti-Santorum blog, but wouldn't it be nice if there were another option, in addition to the usual ways of trying to make a little difference in your own way?
There is. You can gather with like-minded, sensible folks and commiserate, laugh, strategize and in many ways enjoy a day on the Mall in Washington, D.C. You can make plans now to attend the Reason Rally on March 24!
The Reason Rally is co-sponsored by all the leading secular organizations. The day-long event is designed to unify, energize, inform, embolden and entertain secular people from around the country and throughout the world. There will be music, comedy and talks by luminaries of the secular movement. Everyone is welcome, including those not-so-secular. I'm sure even Santorum would be welcome.
It may be the largest secular event ever. And its free.
Details about the Rally are here.
I'll end this with an observation and knowledge and reason as contrasted with faith from Arthur Schopenhauer: Faith and knowledge are related as the two scales of balance; when the one goes up, the other goes down...The power of religious dogma, when inculcated early, is such as to stifle conscience, compassion and finally every feeling of humanity...For, as you know, religions are like glow worms; they shine only when it's dark. A certain amount of ignorance is the condition of all religions, the element in which alone they can exist. (Parerga and Paralipomena (1851), cited in Who's Who in Hell compiled by Warren Allen Smith and Freethought of the Day compiled by Annie Laurie Gaylor, February 22, 2012.)