I'm Just Sayin'

This is a wacky, but true little story about a church in South Carolina, two S.C. public school districts and new shoes for kids.  The First Baptist  Church of North Augusta operates a ministry named "Laces4Love"....the name alone is enough to make me want to puke...that provides shoes to children who need them. This is a very worthy endeavor...except, in order for the needy children to actually receive the shoes, they must allow the Christian ritual ceremony of having their feet washed. This is way, way, waaay  unconstitutional and yet, two county school systems in South Carolina have been furnishing names of kids who need shoes and providing school owned property (hosting the washings) to the church so that church members could,  as Mark Owens, the Ministry director  said,  "wash their feet like Jesus did his disciples."  The ministry  gave shoes...washed the feet of and gave shoes to about 12,000  students in 25 schools and this went on as if nothing was wrong with this practice until Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the AU, stepped in and pointed out the conflict here....the constitutional consideration of separation of church and state.

The ministry has reacted to this criticism of it's foot washing / shoe donations as unfair and hyper anti- religion. Law suits are about to be filed and hands on the hip, indignant posturing, name calling is about to begin. Suits the hell out of me. It's just another day in the life...some Christians will never stop assaulting our Constitution and we will never stop protecting it.  When all is said and done, the AU will have stopped the "Laces4Love" (damn I hate that name) from washing little children's feet...maybe traumatizing those little kids by pointing out that they need new shoes, then bathing their feet before allowing them the new shoes...that's fucking sick...yulk! Anyway..they will have to stop.. but only until they cook up another scheme by which they can further the cause of theocracy.

The only way for a country to really have freedom of religion is to really have freedom of religion.  And freedom of religion is dependant upon the separation of church and state because if the state and religion are the same, only the religion of the state will be legal. Some of us would not be free to worship as/if we please and none of us would  have the freedom to challenge that lack of liberty.

I'm feeling a little combative this morning.  I just hate that "we want to help you if you convert to our god" mentality. I could spit hot nails right now.... should we  never accept anything from a Christian unless we  are willing to pay their  price? A real gift has no strings attached....it can't...it wouldn't be a gift.