by Kimberly Blaker

G21 Contributing Editor

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Kimberly Blaker

NEW BOSTON, MI, USA - Most Americans, Christian or otherwise, recognize the importance of church and state separation, whether for the protection of church from the government or government from the church. But a large and powerful minority despises freedom of religion in its truest sense: the freedom to practice any religion, or no religion, according to the dictates of ones own conscience. This was most evident in the recent Ten Commandments case in which Alabama's Chief Justice Roy Moore refused to obey a federal court order for the monument's removal.

Unfortunately, the events of September 11 have paradoxically played right into the hands of America's Christian right. This movement has flourished in our fear-ridden nation in spite of the obvious lessons of Osama bin Laden's jihad. American theocrats have even managed to draw support from many moderates, as extreme right politicians have further fused God and Jesus with government, patriotism, and the warding off of Islamic fundamentalist evils.

It is difficult to conceive of our democratic, pluralistic nation (at least in theory, if not always in practice) ever giving way to the fundamentalism seen in Afghanistan or other turbulent states. Yet there may, remotely, be some warrant to such paranoia.

R. Scott Appleby and Martin E. Marty wrote about the deadly violence that occurs when fundamentalisms collide. There may be some parallels, given that those Americans that most favored war with Iraq are conservative and fundamentalist Christians. While Saddam and his regime may not be fundamentalist, America's association of the Middle East with Islamic fundamentalism and Christian fundamentalists' admitted desire for war with the Middle East - to bring about "the Tribulation" [Which they feel is predicted in the Biblical chapter Revelations.- Ed.] - may well be a strong motivating factor in our current conflict.

Karen Armstrong in The Battle for God says it's improbable that fundamentalism could gain enough popularity in the U.S. But she acknowledges that in an emergency state - such as [during] economic or environmental catastrophe - Christian fundamentalism could gravely change the face of our nation.

An emergency state is perhaps what should concern us at this particular moment in American history. To a degree, we've been in such since 9-11. Support for the Christian right movement has dramatically increased since that fatal day and Christian conservatism has increasingly been played out in the public square.

Add to this our economic decline; that Bush's policies and war and reconstruction costs are likely to further plummet our economy; and that we are occupying a country where terrorist supporters are likely to retaliate by bombing or loosing biological or chemical weapons on U.S. soil. Should America fall victim to another significant terrorist assault in the not-so-distant future, given the significant erosion of the wall between church and state and the ravaging of Constitutional protections since 9-11, Armstrong's suggestion could, though implausible, become reality.

The ramifications are sobering. Should Bush's goals continue to backfire, our economy, foreign relations, and our own safety are all at risk. Depending on the severity of any such crisis, it could ultimately lead to serious reaction from America's Christian fundamentalists.

In contrast, if Bush is successful, he'll not only be elevated by and maintain the support of the religious right, he'll likely gain the support of a segment of mainstream Americans blinded by elation as to his political agenda. A second term in office could prove fatal to American liberties.

The implications beseech us to examine how to protect faith, freedom, and security in America and to act resolutely in doing so. The solutions, while seemingly simple, will not be easy to actuate. These would be to convince all Americans of their duty to participate in the political process by deeply familiarizing themselves with candidates backgrounds before voting and then getting to the voting booths; convincing politicians to uphold our Constitution and Bill of Rights, even when a majority of the population (or seeming majority) is in opposition, and especially during times of high national security; and finally, the next to impossible, convincing religious conservatives that dismantling the wall between church and state most surely would result in their own loss of religious freedom -- the right to practice Christianity according to their own denominational beliefs, versus being required to adhere to that of some other Christian faith.

But, as George Grant, a far right activist, reveals:

"Since only about sixty percent of the people are registered to vote and only about thirty-five percent of those actually bother to go to the polls, a candidate only needs to get the support of a small, elite group of citizens to win."

To beat the religious right, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, and all other faiths must come together and make a concerted effort to diffuse the Christian right.

Unfortunately, secularization, that which freedom and democracy are dependent upon, also gives rise to fundamentalism. We are in the ultimate Catch-22. Religious extremism will not go away, so we and future generations must stringently strive to maintain the wall between church and state and all American freedoms, lest our more than two-century-old democracy fade into the annals of American history.

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