Wednesday, August 15, 2007

State of bigotry?


Once again, Rep. Bill Sali unfortunately has shown the world the dark side of Idaho. In a recent interview with the American Family News Network, Sali stated, "We have not only a Hindu prayer being offered in the Senate, we have a Muslim member of the House of Representatives now, Keith Ellison from Minnesota. Those are changes—and they are not what was envisioned by the founding fathers."

To be frank, I am so sick of right-wing religious zealot's making claims as to the intentions of God and the founding fathers. Such outrageous claims are so commonplace in the American discourse these days I sometimes can see why someone would believe this to be true. For me, however, it's hard to fathom why and how this dogma has been accepted by the media, pundits and conservatives alike.

Sali then went on to say, "You know, the Lord can cause the rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike." He then said that the only way the U.S. can continue to survive is under that protective hand of God. He further went on to state that when a Hindu prayer is offered, "that's a different god" and that it "creates problems for the longevity of this country."

No, Mr. Sali, it is the opposite. It is people like yourself who make totally and utterly false statements about the founding of this country, the intentions and personal faiths of our founding fathers, not to mention a total slap in the face of the God whom you so worship. If we are indeed sons and daughters of God how is it that a Hindu prayer is a prayer to a "different God?"

I'm no theologian or professor of religion, but having grown up in a religious environment and having a good deal of knowledge about religion it is my view that not a single man or woman on this earth speaks for God. It is quite easy to discern that Mr. Sali has never read a credible, true historical account of the founding of this great non-Christian nation. I would ask Mr. Sali and those who share his views, where in the Bible does it say that Christ founded America? And if the Bible is not the source for this dogma, what is?

Erik Elison

Ketchum




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.