Kim: Convincing us all about Bush? Republicans? I got the general feeling that we were talking about conservatives, but maybe I missed something. Yes you can be a conservative while Republican, but you don’t have to be. Also, the post was very cognizant about the fact that there are possibly several righteous right-wingers, but the fact is, that religion has become a convenient platform for conservatists to perform, whereas liberals focus elsewhere.

Daggett has broken 20 percent and can win. The Washington Post says at 20% there is a path for Daggett to win and political analysts say with 25% in the polls Daggett can win.

Now its a matter of getting that last 100,000 votes to get Daggett in a position to win.

To do that we are reaching out to voters that want to Vote for Daggett but are afraid a vote for Daggett is a wasted vote. So…

The I’ll vote for Daggett Pledge:

“I want to vote for Chris Daggett, but only if he has a real chance of winning. He needs pledges from 100,000 people like me. I don’t want to wait til Election Day to find out that those votes existed, but we were all afraid to cast them. So, I’m signing my name below, with my address to prove that I’m real, and pledging that if 100,000 people like me sign up, I will vote for Daggett.”

Click Here To Take the I’ll Vote For Daggett Pledge

Spread the word about this pledge, so we can bring an end to politics as usual.

The broken and corrupt two party system threatens us all, event if we are not from NJ. Take a stand.

(I would find these religious trappings more endearing in speaking to our culture at a particular time if they were relics of the founding era. Given that they are from a time less than a century away, and mostly reactionary, I don’t even find any historical charm. Oh well.

As to Oaks’ talk, I’m sure you’ve seen my reaction on FMH. I agree with your general idea. I find it frustrating how often we talk about freedom of religion, and then come to a conclusion which is the exact opposite.

I think my hesitation with this issue is that I do have a hard time seeing it as a serious pressure (like you say, not living outside the tradition myself) so it just feels petty and like a waste of money in lawsuits. It doesn’t matter to me if statements about God or religion are or are not on our currency, so I suppose I’d rather fight for more important changes… but I can see your point. I’d like to live in another country that has a religious history for the perspective, really.

Have you read Elder Oaks talk on religious freedom yet? (http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/religious-freedom) He spent quite a while setting up the importance of keeping state and church separate, so as to protect the beliefs of those in the minority, and I half expected it to be a talk espousing views similar to your post, but he lost me at the end…

I believe that the use of religious trappings in government is much like peer pressure. It can be subtle and indirect, but it can be very powerful. We don’t recognize it as much because we are within the tradition of those trappings. For those who chose to live outside that tradition, the pressure is a bit more obvious.

Additionally, I see this as quite a bit like the discussion we’re currently having on FMH. There is at least the potential for great harm by allowing the mingling of government and religion–if for no other reason that it is the nose of the camel for those like the Eagle Forum, the Constitution Party, and the acolytes of Skousen. It weakens the foundation for the sort of purely secular government necessary to impartially protect freedom of conscience. And do these religious trappings in government provide anything positive, any meaningful benefit?

Your statement that, “I don’t think we can discount ways in which these official government appeals and endorsements exert pressure on society to conform” seems to be your main reason for the removal of these items from the public arena.

At first glance I agree with the statement, but as I’ve thought about it, I’m not sure. Our government does things all the time that I disagree with and I don’t feel any real pressure to step up and fall in line. It’s hard to say because I haven’t lived in another country, and therefore haven’t had the experience of the little things effecting me over a lifetime, but it doesn’t seem likely that a “In Allah We Trust” statement on our currency would pressure me to convert to Islam…

What interests me most at this point is the idea that because church leaders have said that the Constitution was an inspired document that Mormons should vote for whatever party is more Constitutional and then I’m interested in how Mormons arrive to the Republican party as the answer to that question.

Very interested in reading more of your blog. Love how you’ve laid things out methodically and written so clearly.