Are we witnessing Christian Soldiers marching off to war? For music to read by click here. The song really sets the theme for the invasion of church in to the state of Garland County government.
Yep, the “Christian Soldiers” have been preparing in Hot Springs National Park and Garland County their exclusive club for government. As mentioned here, the battle of separation between church and state is just now rolling in the Garland County/Hot Springs government bodies. I’ve been watching these Republican right wing groups in Garland County/Hot Springs for some time now and do believe this is just the beginning of the culmination of many years in activities from The Watchmen of Garland County. With Mayor-elect of Ruth Carney, husband of pastor Ken Carney, these activties are not new and their membership in The Watchmen can be found listed here . Now don’t get me wrong here but who appointed these guys judge and jury of the Garland County residents in deciding the future of our religious rights to practice or not practice any particular faith?
In today’s Hot Springs Sentinel Record, Mayor-elect, Ruth Carney, is quoted ““When you get down to the bottom line, nowhere in the Constitution does it say ‘separation of church and state is to keep the church out of government.’ It was to keep government out of the church.” My question for Mayor-elect, Carney, is just whose church are you going to impose in your government bodies for Hot Springs and Garland County. What about the Methodists? What about those citizens of Jewish faith? Are you going to include those of the Islamic faith also?
Mayor-elect, Ruth Carney, I don’t know which version of the Bible you read or what you believe in Jesus. I do know that the Jesus I know would not appreciate His name being thrown into government issues or meetings. I am not attempting to proselytize here (non-believers please don’t take offense) but, don’t you remember Jesus telling the people in Mathew 21:
12. And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a ROBBERS’ DEN.”
When will our elected officials stop using the church for things other then a place of worship? If you truly believe that the separation of church and state was to keep “government out of the church“, then why are you meeting at a church in the first place? Just saying that it seems contrary to the teachings of Jesus to bring the “money changers” into a place of worship. For that matter, it seems just a little contrary to what Jesus taught to hold any of your meetings in a place of worship, including the ones with the elected officials.
And what did Jesus say about separation of church and state? Mark 12:17
Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
Let’s get down to it. “It was mainly ethics and morals,” according to Carney, about that meeting in December. If the Tea Party and Republican Party elected officials needed to learn morals and ethics, what were they doing running for office in the first place? Is that not what they advertised as one of their main campaign issues? Is that not misrepresentation? Secret meetings are unethical, immoral and simply against the Constitution of Arkansas, Freedom of Information Act. Didn’t you guys campaign on accountability? As a Christian, that strongly supports the separation of church and state, I don’t think I can trust you any longer. Yes, Ms. Silverman and Ms. Carney, there is a Christian Democrat in Garland County (probably more then you know that don’t use Jesus to get elected).WWJD? I forgive you but, I won’t forget. And, I will be alerting others to the games you are playing. As a matter of fact, I will be praying for all the Tea Party Patriots, Republicans and Watchmen of Garland County members to have a change of heart before they taint His name any further. We will be watching too!
I don’t have a problem with you questioning the practice of certain political parties in this town. But I do question your choice of Christmas Eve to raise this issue. You could have waited two days to submit this publication, instead I had to see it in my local section on Google news on Christmas day. I find the timing to be both tacky and tasteless, lets give the political garbage a rest for at least one day. Things like this make me glad I’m not a Republican OR Democrat, I’m an American citizen. Merry Christmas anyway.
Sorry you feel that way poeboy, and I do wish you a Merry Christmas also. I too thought the timing was off, since it ran in the Hot Springs Sentinel Record on the 23rd, The Arkansas Times on the 23rd and posted by myself 8 minutes after midnight which unfortunately slipped me into Christmas Eve. The story would have appeared the same day as the other two publications, but, I was busy doing the Christmas preparation thing for my family. It is too bad that this story did not break right at the intial meeting December 11th. We reported this news as soon as possible. Myself, I only discovered your post when I checked my email.
I like your freedom of speech here and again do wish you and yours the very Merriest Christmas possible. I didn’t think anyone would be searching the news Christmas morning, but, rather spending time contemplating the reason for the season.
Wishing you a prosperous year in 2011!
All this proselytizing about one day out of 365 just shows how little time people really spend ‘worshiping’ on Christmas day. I don’t think Jesus would want you ‘cruising’ the internet on His ‘day’. But then what the heck? After opening all those presents, eating all that food and drinking all that nog, what else is there to do?
Funny thing, Ruth carney didn’t take office until Jan. 1, 2011