New Atheist Author Says, "God Needs to Be Kept Out of Politics Now More Than Ever"
(PRWEB UK) 6 November 2013 -- Between the civil war occurring in Syria, the continued conflict of Israel and Palestine, and the wealth of ineptitude coming from the United States GOP, Joshua Kelly, author of 'Oh, Your god!: The Evil Idea That Is Religion', has said that religion is the catalyst for the worst kinds of domestic and foreign policy.
“When politicians are allowed unabashedly to say that their campaign is centered on a major religious platform,” Kelly says, “such as President Ahmadinejad making his famous statement concerning the Mahdi or Michelle Bachmann bleating that the End Days are upon us—we have to come to terms with the fact that the most major seats of power in the world are being occupied by people who believe in their imaginary friends and actually take their advice when it comes to legislation. It’s the most dangerous thing that can be imagined.”
This point becomes incredibly tangible with the school shooting that occurred in Nevada on October 21st—a tragic event that indelibly produces two conversations whenever it happens in the U.S.: discussion on gun control and prayer in schools. After the horrifying incident at Sandy Hook in 2012, Bryan Fischer was one of the first on the airwaves to blame the tragedy on the absence of prayer in schools. He was echoed in July of the next year by Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI), who advocated for formal Christian prayer during school board meetings. Mr. Kelly responded to Mr. Fischer personally in his book, but also comments on the subject at large:
“If, after every school shooting, we are forced to rehash the definition of the First Amendment and the Establishment Clause,” Kelly says, “we are not only dreadfully focusing on the wrong issue, but wasting precious time that could be utilized to support grieving families and instituting protective legislation rather than trying to placate the religious in their mission to feel victimized.”
With the recent U.S. government shutdown only in the near past, Kelly has been swift to point out that the GOP strategists responsible all have heavily religious tendencies. “When Republicans come to an agreement to keep John Boehner as House Speaker because god told them to; when Ted Cruz can casually intone that Yahweh wanted the government shutdown; when Steve Fincher can decide that the best social plan for the country is drawn from a book that mandates the killing of deflowered wives and prohibition of mixed fabric—we can safely say that we have elected madmen into government and subjected ourselves to the whim of their delusions. It is no coincidence that asinine political tactics emanate from those with asinine theological vindications.”
'Oh Your god! The Evil Idea That is Religion' (ISBN 1908675055) is available now in print and ebook from Amazon.
ENDS
Mr. Kelly’s continued thoughts on religion and politics can be viewed on his Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as his blog: neverstopthequestions.blogspot.com.
Joshua Kelly, Dangerous Little Books, http://www.dangerouslittlebooks.com, +44 8432896869, [email protected]
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