Let's Take a Look at the Head of the Trump Religious Liberty Commission

A blog post responding to an anti-Islam troll led me to this dude. He was also cited by the Freedom From Religion Foundation radio program. 

We are talking about Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (TX). Not the sports guy. He was mad when someone did not stand during a Christian invocation. It is not totally clear whether the legislator was doing so purposely or was just talking to a staff member for some reason. 

"For those of you who didn't stand, next time you come to the gallery, you stand for the invocation," Patrick said on Aug. 15. "It's respecting the Senate. If you don't stand for the invocation, I'll have you removed. We asked you to stand. I've never seen a gallery ever have any members in my 17 years of people who refused to stand for the invocation. It will not be tolerated."

The head of the religious liberty commission is not aware (or he doesn't believe) that there is a right not to stand for religious speakers. He was not as respectful when someone was saying a Muslim player. He walked out of the chamber. 

Patrick has continued to win state and national support for his religio-political efforts. He was tapped to steer the Trump administration's Religious Liberty Commission and finally shepherded Republicans to pass his long-desired Ten Commandments law. 

(A federal judge in San Antonio blocked Senate Bill 10 from taking effect Sept. 1. Texas will challenge the judge's ruling in the appeals court.)

Patrick states on his website that “I placed ‘In God We Trust’ in the State Senate. I placed ‘Under God’ in our State Pledge.” Christian God, I suppose. 

The legislator who did not stand leans toward Buddhism these days and has a religiously diverse family. One sister identifies as Episcopalian; another follows the mystical Islamic form of Sufism; other siblings are atheists; and one nephew is Muslim.

If you are going to push back on Christian nationalism in Texas, you will often use Christian beliefs to do so. Jesus spoke of keeping religion private. The Bible provides people with free will. People willingly make religious choices.

"Religion is being used. It's being prostituted," Eckhardt said. "It is sickening to watch faith being perverted or exploited to push policies that are incredibly cruel, incredibly selfish, and are really about power and have nothing to do with religion."

Some people, largely the left side of the political spectrum, just go after religion. I don't think that is necessary. I listen to and read FFRF materials. I am, however, more of a freethinker than someone who wants to be free of religion.

The problem is the misuse of religion. Religion is a basic aspect of human existence. Let's just focus on the usual definition. I put aside past concerns. 

It is still going to exist in a major way. It is the perversion of religion that is a core problem. 

Conservative religions are not necessarily the problem here if there is an appropriate separation of church and state. Yes, there will be problems there too, if only in the private sphere. We cannot just handwave.

The government still has a special amount of power. The misuse of governmental power to promote religion is a major problem.