Deb Billado: America needs to go fly a kite

Editor’s note: This commentary is by Deb Billado, chairwoman of the Vermont GOP.

Religious liberty is under assault in many ways. People of faith are mocked for their religious conscience and government sees religious values as obstacles to overcome rather than a value to cherish and protect. The First Amendment has been perverted to make America not a place of religious freedom, but a place free from it. They have taken the phrase “separation of church and state” that Thomas Jefferson used to make it clear that government was not to interfere with any religious practice, to instead do just the opposite, something he never intended nor does a true reading of the Constitution endorse.  Some even argue that phrase is in the text of the Constitution when it is not.

We have moved from a nation that respected and defended freedom of religion to one that now avoids and scorns it, will not defend those who hold onto the cherished right given to us by our founders, and now, that government that is supposed to guarantee it, is preventing people from living out their faith in the public arena thus restricting instead of guaranteeing their free exercise of religion.

Deborah Billado, chair of the Vermont GOP

When a right as basic as those First Amendment ones of religious liberty and speech, is freely ignored and violated, that precedent will bode poorly for the rights of others.  If such a critical part of our founding document can be ignored and violated, nothing in the Constitution is safe from abuse.  A perfect example is the raw political use of Constitutional impeachment authority to attempt to remove a duly elected president whose only offense is having won the office against all odds and is of the opposite party that seeks his removal.

In addition to the second-class citizen status put on people of faith, there is persecution, hateful actions and even physical attacks on them, especially Christians, the most persecuted of all faiths. Recently there have been anti-Semitic attacks in New York, a church shooting in Texas and malicious burning of churches are happening regularly.   It doesn’t stop there.  Violence, drug, alcohol abuse and crime are impacting the entire population as the culture continues to decline.  This is a logical outcome of taking the good out of society and replacing it with greed and selfishness.  No town is too small or picturesque with its near empty white steepled churches to be immune from addiction and overdose deaths, crime and violence.

As the problems in society get worse, government grows in response, but the situation continues to worsen for government is incapable of fixing the problems.  Government feeds on problems and gives liberals more excuse to tax more.  It was as if President Adams was able to look into the future, probably with fear in his heart, as he viewed a land, inhabited by people who had lost their way, no longer recognized or even knew what the founding principles were that made America that city on a hill that provided a light for the world.   He saw what would happen when people turned from God and moral living.  “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.  Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net.”  He has described the condition of our people today and how true it is that our government is not the solution for it is incapable of contending with the evil hearts of man.

How do we turn this around to get our great nation back on track?  Our nation’s religious and moral beliefs are like a string that is used to fly a kite, that at first glance, seems to hold it down and prevent it from freely flying, but in fact is what holds it up and proof of that is had by letting go of the string.  The kite senses it, dips and gyrates, then comes crashing to the ground.  So, it is with our nation when we cut the string of our Christian religious beliefs.  Some might see it as they first see the string, thinking it holds them back and is no fun, but the reality is, these keep people free from all sorts of enslavements and lets them fly high and free and have real joy.  If you remember you still have the string in your hand and before the kite crashes, that if you run like the wind with that string, when you get the slack out, the kite will rise again to new heights.  If we get back to the basics of moral living and put our faith in God and live according to His Word, America can experience a revival and we will recover and truly return to the founders intentions for our great nation!

Image courtesy of Public domain

4 thoughts on “Deb Billado: America needs to go fly a kite

  1. Deb Billado is a hero and is proving daily that she truly cares for Vermont and its people. We should never take this leader for granted. Her courage to speak truth in the hateful rhetorical climate we live in is rare. Not only that, her reasons for doing what she does are pure in that she is unwilling to take pay or reimbursement for expenses from doing her VTGOP Chair job. Her words are true and so refreshing to hear from a politico. She pushes back against the phony caring attitude of the Democrat/Progressives who use other people’s money to win allegiance and votes. We can say thanks to Deb by running for office, supporting those conservative Republicans who do and voting and put Vermont governance back in the hands of Republicans.

  2. As stated, there have been anti-Semitic attacks in New York, a church shooting in Texas,
    malicious burning of churches is happening regularly….Why, because of the soulless fools
    pushing an agenda, especially the on-demand abortion bill………… disgusting.

    It doesn’t stop there Violence, drug, alcohol abuse and crime are impacting the entire
    population as the culture continues with the ” No Morals ” mindset from Liberals.

  3. The protection of religious freedom under Constitutional law has some limits insofar as some religions, generally fanatic proselytizing religions, intrude upon the freedoms of other religions. Muslims, for example, should be free to practice their religion but only insofar as it does not infringe upon the rights of non-believers or conflict with local, state or federal law. The idea that imposition of Sharia law is Constitutionally protected is anathema. There is no legal requirement to believe in any deity; many don’t. Nor does Christianity (currently in the U.S.) persecute non believers. It has not always been so; Catholics and Protestants have even warred against one another. When Atheism starts to persecute the faithful of other religions it has, insofar as adherence to doctrinal beliefs goes, become a non theistic religion from which others should be protected. The same could be said for Socialism, gun control fanatics or AGW, insofar as they fanatically strive to impose their doctrine by law on unwilling others. They are all religions, insofar as they have singular doctrinal beliefs. These they are free to practice, i.e. share your assets with the disadvantaged, don’t own firearms, don’t burn anything, don’t use plastics and eat organic food. The Freedom issue is that they are not satisfied with their freedom to live as they will but that, like religious fanatics of the dark ages, would impose their beliefs and practices by force of law on everyone, demonizing and persecuting heretics. Against these religions we should be protected.

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