Rep. Hodges: Religious only means Christian

[Panzersharkcat]

Link.

In Louisiana, Republican Governor Bobby Jindal pushed for a voucher program that would allow state funds to be used to pay for religious schools. It’s unconstitutional, it’s a way to use taxpayer money to fund someone’s faith, and it was a bad idea to begin with.

But it passed.

Now, one of the state legislators, Rep. Valarie Hodges (R-Watson), just made a shocking discovery, though: Christianity isn’t the only religion!

Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Watson, says she had no idea that Gov. Bobby Jindal’s overhaul of the state’s educational system might mean taxpayer support of Muslim schools.

“I actually support funding for teaching the fundamentals of America’s Founding Fathers’ religion, which is Christianity, in public schools or private schools,” the District 64 Representative said Monday.

…

“Unfortunately it will not be limited to the Founders’ religion,” Hodges said. “We need to insure that it does not open the door to fund radical Islam schools. There are a thousand Muslim schools that have sprung up recently. I do not support using public funds for teaching Islam anywhere here in Louisiana.”

Wait, we’re teaching the “Founders’ religion”? I can’t wait to see those Deistic schools popping up everywhere…

I can’t decide whether the staffers at Americans United are collectively rolling their eyes or shaking their heads in disbelief, but they’re right to suggest “We told you so”:

Where to begin? Hodges’ bigotry is perhaps only rivaled by her ignorance of constitutional and legal principles. Of course Muslim schools will qualify for funding under a voucher plan. When programs like this are set up that dole out benefits to religious schools, the government can’t play favorites. That’s basic.

…

Some legislators aren’t comfortable funding Muslim schools. What’s to be done? How about not establishing these programs in the first place? Let Muslims fund Muslim schools. Let Catholics fund Catholics ones. Let fundamentalist Protestants pay for the conservative Christian academies and so on.

Rep. Hodges made the mistake of saying out loud what most conservative Christians only say to themselves to private: When they say they want “religious freedom,” they’re only referring to their own faith. Everyone else can fend for themselves.

Message to Rep. Hodges: Your Christian privilege is showing.

I don't think this surprises anyone here.

[PainRack]

Ok.......... Wasn't this point raised ANYWHERE in the debate before the bill was passed?

[Alyeska]

Ok.......... Wasn't this point raised ANYWHERE in the debate before the bill was passed?

Americans United actually pointed this out the first time around.

[Gandalf]

Ok.......... Wasn't this point raised ANYWHERE in the debate before the bill was passed?

If you're from an homogenous environment, variations like this don't often become apparent at first.

[General Mung Beans]

This was why Protestants (Evangelical or otherwise) until well into the 20th Century were fiercely against governmental funding of religious schools (both in the US and in European countries like France) because it tended to favour Catholic schools.

[Dr. Trainwreck]

“We need to insure that it does not open the door to fund radical Islam schools.

What exactly is the right's problem with "radical" Islam? Last I checked, there was also mainstream Islam, and Muslims that didn't like to blow themselves up, as evidenced by the fact that the majority of people have lived decades without strapping dynamite on to themselves. Why, exactly, American politicians fully disregard the overwhelming majority who want to have nothing to do with fanatics?

[PainRack]

“We need to insure that it does not open the door to fund radical Islam schools.

What exactly is the right's problem with "radical" Islam? Last I checked, there was also mainstream Islam, and Muslims that didn't like to blow themselves up, as evidenced by the fact that the majority of people have lived decades without strapping dynamite on to themselves. Why, exactly, American politicians fully disregard the overwhelming majority who want to have nothing to do with fanatics?

Because any attempt to indoctrinate kids is obviously radicalism.

[Ultonius]

Rep. Hodges made the mistake of saying out loud what most conservative Christians only say to themselves to private: When they say they want “religious freedom,” they’re only referring to their own faith. Everyone else can fend for themselves.

This trend goes back to colonial times. The colonies founded by Puritans seeking a place to practise their faith freely had Puritan Congregationalism as their official religion, and persecuted religious minorities, even other Protestants such as Quakers and Baptists.

[Phantasee]

“We need to insure that it does not open the door to fund radical Islam schools.

What exactly is the right's problem with "radical" Islam? Last I checked, there was also mainstream Islam, and Muslims that didn't like to blow themselves up, as evidenced by the fact that the majority of people have lived decades without strapping dynamite on to themselves. Why, exactly, American politicians fully disregard the overwhelming majority who want to have nothing to do with fanatics?

Because any attempt to indoctrinate kids is obviously radicalism.

You mean Bible Camps?

[Zaune]

The Zeroeth Commandment: It's Not A Sin If It's Us Doing It.

[The Cooler King]

This mindset is everywhere. When I was a cabdriver, I used to work with a guy who would do whatever he wanted. He would take the cabs and run personal errands, leave the cab to go home and nap, and have no way of contacting him no matter how busy it was. He would answer EVERY complaint about him the same way: "I don't give a FUCK. I've been SAVED." He would also get loud when there was any discussion of science, usually saying things like "I don't come from no damn monkeys! If it ain't in the Bible, it ain't worth knowing." His real-life Wall of Ignorance was REALLY annoying to deal with (as a dispatcher, I HAD to deal with him, and the boss, for some reason, refused to fire him).

[someone_else]

What exactly is the right's problem with "radical" Islam?

Consider from where this comes from. From people that are shocked by the revelation that there are other religions other than their shitty heretic version of Christianity.
They will likely have very warped ideas about what islam is, ideas that won't really hold up when confronted with reality, but as long as they keep themselves walled behind their stupidity...

When I was a cabdriver, I used to work with a guy who would do whatever he wanted

Interesting mindset. Cannot really blame him, as with a single confession you can still go in christian haven even if you had been a bloody planet-wide asshole for your whole life.

This kind of attitude would... let's say "attract" heavy pranks from less patient people though.

[Serafina]

Yep, there is a (probably not all that old) saying about how, if you want to murder the entire world, you should leave one priest alive so that you can confess and go to heaven.

[Lord Revan]

I wouldn't use the word heretic as calling something a heresy assumes there's a "true" version of a religion (in this case christianity), I'd use the word sect or branch as they don't assume that thus allowing a more neutral POV (calling them stupid or shitty I don't have problems with).

[Dr. Trainwreck]

Because any attempt to indoctrinate kids is obviously radicalism.

Radicalism as in "narrow-minded asshole", or radicalism as in "take the fucking dynamite and go"?

[Zixinus]

What exactly is the right's problem with "radical" Islam?

As far as I can tell, they don't like competition.

Why, exactly, American politicians fully disregard the overwhelming majority who want to have nothing to do with fanatics?

Because there are (or they at least think) far few muslims than Christians. Appealing to radical muslims (ie. the non-ficticious version of Cobra from GI Joe, in their own mind) scares people into voting for them. The (in their own mind) small number of muslim voters are not worth placating, for the same reason they don't placate Atheists or Wiccans or even Catholics: they are a relative minority. Democracy is a numbers game.

[Raw Shark]

This mindset is everywhere. When I was a cabdriver, I used to work with a guy who would do whatever he wanted. He would take the cabs and run personal errands, leave the cab to go home and nap, and have no way of contacting him no matter how busy it was. He would answer EVERY complaint about him the same way: "I don't give a FUCK. I've been SAVED." He would also get loud when there was any discussion of science, usually saying things like "I don't come from no damn monkeys! If it ain't in the Bible, it ain't worth knowing." His real-life Wall of Ignorance was REALLY annoying to deal with (as a dispatcher, I HAD to deal with him, and the boss, for some reason, refused to fire him).

Cab driving is... different here. Doing whatever you want without much in the way of accountability is the only perk that comes with this shit job.

Fundie cab drivers don't pick up at gay bars. More money for me!

[PainRack]

Cab driving is... different here. Doing whatever you want without much in the way of accountability is the only perk that comes with this shit job.

Fundie cab drivers don't pick up at gay bars. More money for me!

Same..Over here, the key requirements seem to be don't screw the customer(too much), don't get in accidents and you're free to do whatever you like.

These cab drivers told me of colleagues who became cab drivers so that they essentially get a free car for their family. Its not a bad deal, pick up around 5-10 passengers daily to cover rental and fuel and you get a free car. Even if you don't pick up passengers, you get access to cheaper fuel and the company pays for your car insurance.

It got significant enough that this year, the major cab companies released new guidelines meant to curb this practice.

[PainRack]

Because any attempt to indoctrinate kids is obviously radicalism.

Radicalism as in "narrow-minded asshole", or radicalism as in "take the fucking dynamite and go"?

Both!

Don't you know those sekret skools are teaching communism, sapping away good ol American rugged individualism and government tyranny?

[CaptJodan]

I suspect that to Rep Hodges, "radical" Islam is just....Islam. Republicans put "radical" in front of the word Islam to drill into the minds of their voters the perception that Islam is dangerous. If they're called out on bigotry, they can simply claim that they don't hate all of Islam, just "radical" Islam.

She's the usual fundie idiot though. When are these people going to open a history book and actually read up on the Founding Fathers, rather than the Straw Fathers they've put in their place?

[Lord Revan]

She's the usual fundie idiot though. When are these people going to open a history book and actually read up on the Founding Fathers, rather than the Straw Fathers they've put in their place?

I suspect never they live in their own reality, kind of like the people back here who still think the Soviet Union was paradise.

[TheFeniX]

Even in Texas, there's quite a few churches that aren't all that critical of homosexuality and some (like that one I attended with a friend's family WAY back) even invited other religious preachers (Muslim, Jewish, etc) as guest preachers. While I don't know how Louisiana fares with churches like this nor how many private religious schools have this kind of mentality: how will they react if Christian schools such as these ask for funds?

I'm betting more No True Scotsman bullshit.

[Dr. Trainwreck]

Don't you know those sekret skools are teaching communism, sapping away good ol American rugged individualism and government tyranny?

This is nothing short of the worst heresy committed against the name of the holy God-Emperor of Mankind and His divine Imper...

What, wait. We are still in the second millenium (technically third)? Fuck, America can be hilariously awesome.

[Ahriman238]

I think you guys are missing the point here, which is that a bunch of fundie bigots put through a program without understanding all the ramifications or reading the fine print. Now they're stuck paying for Muslim and Jewish and for all we know Buddhist education because the legal precedent is 'you CAN fund religious education with public funds, but only if everyone gets equal funding.'

And that is awesome. Now Hodges and her ilk have to support not only their own circle-jerk but actually shell out money to the genuine benefit of all. Except for atheists. I'm loving it!

Conservative nutjobs howling in self-inflicted agony, my work here is done, and I haven't lifted a figure or even visited the state. How rich!

[PeZook]

Man...doesn't it mean Scientologist schools can get state funding, too?