Heard a caller to the Rush Limbaugh Show (3rd hour, 4-27-05) disagree with Rush's assertion earlier in the program (1st hour) that there is no imposition of religion in our society. This caller's evidence that there is, in fact, such an imposition going on was this: that he lives in an area that has outlawed the sale of alcoholic beverages on Sunday. This, which if anything, may be an imposition of morality, is supposedly a prima facie case! For this caller, morality is religion. So if a moral position is embodied in the law, this is the imposition of religion.

When Limbaugh explained to this caller that perhaps he could work to have the council members replaced who voted for this measure, or at least work to have the measure repealed, the caller asked, "Don't you think the Christian right will just change that?"

Just change it? How? All anyone can do is vote. Just like this guy. When this guy is out-voted, the Christian right has imposed its religion on him. (He probably calls it democracy when the Christian right is out-voted. He probably doesn't think that the Secular Humanist religion has been imposed on anyone when the Christian right has been out-voted.) Limbaugh did explain to the man that, on this view, any legislative act constitutes an imposition, rather than the result of the democratic process at work.

But what concerns me is how people think some religion is being imposed on them if a moral position (which they identify as being held by the "religious right") becomes law. Let's just ask which religion is being imposed by this religious right. Assume for just a moment that every member of this religious right is some stripe of orthodox (as opposed to theologically liberal) Christian, whether Catholic, Protestant, Reformed, charismatic, or pentecostal. Ostensibly, then, the religion being imposed is orthodox Christianity, right?

Wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Orthodox Christianity is, minimally, summed up by the seven "ecumenical councils" of the Church. Of these, let us just make reliance upon the Nicene Creed. (The following is a literal translation of the Greek text of the Constantinopolitan form , from the Catholic Encyclopedia [online at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11049a.htm]. The brackets indicate the words altered or added in the Western liturgical form in present use.)

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and born of the Father before all ages. (God of God) light of light, true God of true God. Begotten not made, consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And was incarnate of the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary and was made man; was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried; and the third day rose again according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose Kingdom there shall be no end. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son), who together with the Father and the Son is to be adored and glorified, who spoke by the Prophets. And one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We confess one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen."

Here, in the U.S., "orthodoxy" isn't talked about as much as Christian "fundamentalism". What is this so-called Christian fundamentalism? Well, it is summed up in the so-called Five Fundamentals:

1. Inerrancy of the Scripture

2. The virgin birth and deity of Jesus Christ

3. The substitutionary atonement

4. The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ

5. The validity of miracles or the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ

This is the religious right. Now, I am both a drinker and an orthodox Christian. Please, someone, tell me how not being allowed to buy booze on Sunday constitutes being required to believe either something like the Nicene Creed or the Five Fundamentals. Please explain how, if it were to happen, not being allowed to have an abortion for just any reason would constitute being required to believe either the Nicene Creed or the Five Fundamentals.

Of course, what they'll tell us is that when we want our position on abortion, for example, to be the law of the land that is an imposition of religion because our view of abortion is rooted in our religion. Of course, it escapes their notice that their own view of abortion is rooted in their religion, the religion of secular humanism. Now the debate degenerates into nothing but name calling:

"You're religious!"
"No, you are."
"No, you are.!"
No, you are."
"No, you are."

And so forth.