TX Gov. Rick Perry's Call To Prayer

Texas Gov. Rick Perry invites you to the official state-sanctioned Christian (only) prayer rally where you will be asked to "pray and fast like Jesus did."

Republicans Debate Church & State

UPDATE: The video has been yanked.

TX Gov. Rick Perry Welcomes All Faiths To Prayer Rally (Must Worship Jeebus)

Texas Gov. Rick Perry will be staging an official state day of prayer at which ALL faiths will be welcome. So long as you're ready to welcome the love of Jeebus into your heart. So sez Perry's spokesman.

Perkins: America Needs Godly Leaders

"I believe that we will have to give an account [to God] as Christians in America for the leaders we have selected over time and the direction they have taken us."

FLORIDA: State Senate Committee Repeals Separation Of Church And State

Yesterday Florida's GOP-dominated state Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that effectively eliminates the separation of church and state.

SJR 1218, which was sponsored by Sen. Thad Altman (R-Melbourne) and endorsed by the entire Republican caucus, would delete a constitutional provision that bars Florida from spending public revenues on sectarian religious organizations. Supporters of the bill claim that prohibiting government from funding religious groups discriminates against religious groups. [snip] There are many reasons why Republicans want to repeal the “no aid” provision of Florida’s constitution, known as the Blaine Amendment. Their reasons include their desire to include sectarian religious education in our public schools and their desire to fund specific favored religious organizations while defunding public organizations that benefit all Floridians.

(Tipped by JMG reader Nicholas)

"In God We Trust" Bill Advances

Yesterday the House Judiciary Committee approved the bill requiring the placement of "In God We Trust" on all "public buildings, public schools, and other government institutions." The bill was introduced by Tea Party-backed GOP Rep. Randy Forbes (VA), who in recent years introduced bills demanding that the federal government "recognize the Holy Bible as the inerrant word of God." Forbes' bill has a good shot of passage in the full House.

Quote Of The Day - Rick Tyler

"It’s time to think out of the box, and we can succeed. Just this past year, we notched a huge victory in Iowa against the three judges that superseded the will of the people by imposing their own agenda upon the Constitution. Christians have a warrior in Bob Vander Plaats, who led the fight that resulted in sending three judges home after they grossly overreached their constitutional role in redefining marriage. We must show other judges who have forgotten the constitutional constraints that there are consequences for their actions. Make your voice heard. Watch your email for our ReAL Action Alert. We’re going to tell the Ninth Circuit that their services are no longer required." -Rick Tyler, chairman of Newt Gingrich's Renewing American Leadership, saying his group will somehow eliminate the entire Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Christianist blogosphere is roiling with anger this week over the Ninth Circuit Court's ruling that San Diego's Mt. Soledad Cross violates the separation of church and state. The status of the cross has been the subject of lawsuits for decades. In 2007, the California Supreme Court ruled that it was constitutional for the city to transfer the land under the cross to the federal government. This week the Ninth Circuit overturned that decision.

CORRECTION: In the first version of this post, I wrongly attributed the above quote to Pastor Jim Garlow of Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, who is part of Gingrich's group. In fact, Garlow will be leading the planned protest against the Ninth Circuit Court's decision. My apologies.

Virginia AG Ken Cuccinelli: Christian Celebrations Are OK On Public Property

Saying that he has divined the original intent of the writers of the U.S. Constitution, teabagger Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has decreed (PDF) that Christians may now use public property, included their government offices, to declare and celebrate their faith. The Liberty Counsel exults:

In a detailed opinion, Cuccinelli shed light on the original intent of both the United States and Virginia Constitutions in regards to freedom of religion and concluded that the “establishment of religion” clause does not, in fact, compel local governments to restrict religious speech on public property. He further stated that the local governments themselves may recognize such religious holidays as Christmas, as long as religious symbols are accompanied by secular ones. Cuccinelli addressed an issue that many Christian employees face throughout the year, dealing with the right of public employees to display religious artwork or symbols in their offices. He concluded that only under certain limited conditions could the government restrict the religious speech of its employees.

That sound you hear is thousands of photos of Jeebus being hung on the walls of local town halls, DMV offices, classrooms, and court houses.

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Federal Court Rules Students Must Hear Pledge Of Allegiance

A federal appeals court has ruled that a New Hampshire Patriot Act requiring the "voluntary" recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance does not force religion on students. The Freedom From Religion Foundation had argued that even a so-called voluntary recitation of the words "under God" violated the Constitution and made outcasts of students unwilling to participate.

The panel of judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on Friday rejected the claim that exposing children to group recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance violated their constitutional rights. The judges, a Clinton nominee, a George W. Bush nominee and an Obama nominee, agreed the pledge references religion, but they said its purpose is to encourage patriotism. The ruling affirms a 2009 ruling by U.S. District Judge Steven McAuliffe at the federal court in Concord. "In reciting the Pledge, students promise fidelity to our flag and our nation, not to any particular God, faith or church," wrote Chief Judge Sandra Lynch. "The New Hampshire School Patriot Act's primary effect is not the advancement of religion, but the advancement of patriotism through a pledge to the flag as a symbol of the nation."

Christianist website World Net Daily hailed the decision with this headline: "Court: Constitution 'does not require complete separation of church and state'." In 1954 the words "under God" were added to the Pledge after the Knights Of Columbus pressured members of Congress to make the change.

Quote Of The Day - Ken Buck

"I disagree strongly with the concept of separation of church and state. It was not written into the Constitution. While we have a Constitution that is very strong in the sense that we are not gonna have a religion that’s sanctioned by the government, it doesn’t mean that we need to have a separation between government and religion. And so that, that concerns me a great deal.

"So I think there are cultural differences, I think there, we are as strong as we, our culture, our culture gives us our strength, I guess is the best way to put that. And, and I am worried about the fact that we seem to be walking away from culture. And, and one thing that President Obama has done that I would certainly speak about is calling the Christmas tree, which has historically been called a Christmas tree in Washington DC, a holiday tree. It’s just flat wrong in my mind." - Colorado teabagger and Senate candidate Ken Buck, who is tied in the polling with incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet.

RELATED: Think Progress notes that Buck's claim about the Obama "holiday tree" has been debunked as pure "hooey."

Christine O'Donnell: There's No Such Thing As Separation Of Church And State

(Via - Towleroad)

Americans United Demands Military End Its Proselytizing Christian Concerts

Americans United for Separation of Church and State is calling on the U.S. military to stop holding Christian music concerts on its bases. Their complaint is spawned by an upcoming Christian rock concert planned for Fort Bragg.

The “Rock the Fort” event at Fort Bragg this weekend targets both military personnel and adults and children in the surrounding community for conversion to Christianity. This clearly violates the separation of church and state, attorneys with Americans United informed Army officials in a letter today. “It’s not the Army’s job to convert Americans to Christianity,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “This event is totally unacceptable and must be canceled. “It is particularly shocking that the military would join forces with Franklin Graham,” Lynn continued. “Graham has expressed utter contempt for Islam, Hinduism and other faiths. When our military joins hands with him, it sends exactly the wrong message to the world. Our military defends a nation that includes people of many different faiths and some who follow no faith at all.”

RELATED: Last month about 80 soldiers at Fort Eustis, Virginia were punished by their superiors for refusing to attend a mandatory Christian rock concert on their base.

NY Sen. Ruben Diaz: Same-Sex Marriage Will Bring The End Of The World

In this clip subtitled by Andres Duque at Blabbeando, evil homophobe NY Sen. Ruben Diaz appears on the NYC Spanish-language program Pura Politica to announce that same-sex marriage will bring about the End Times. The host of the show is quite adversarial to Diaz, fortunately, and calls him out rather strongly. Watch this. Last year Diaz appeared on the same program where he infamously proclaimed that as a Pentacostal preacher and a state Senator, "I am the church AND the state." Read Andres Duque's excellent dissection of this latest bit of arrogant assholery.

RELATED: Later in this same clip, Puerto Rican LGBT activist Pedro Julio Serrano rebuts Diaz' insanity. Keep an eye on Serrano, he's a real rising star in the movement.

Sharron Angle: Separation Of Church And State Is Unconstitutional