Gov. Bill Lee is promoting a religious autocracy

Gov. Bill Lee signed a proclamation dedicating September 30 to be a statewide day of “prayer, humility, and fasting.”  For those atheists and agnostics who are part of the 14% of Tennesseans who declare no religious affiliation, this pious proclamation was offensive as well as concerning since it reflects a blatant disrespect for the separation of church and state, a fundamental philosophy on which this nation was founded.  

According to Wikipedia, “The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state.” First coined by Thomas Jefferson, The First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibit thereof.”  James Madison, drafter of the Bill of Rights also wrote of the need for separation between Religion and Government as being essential to the purity of both.      

But even more tone-deaf is that so many Tennesseans already go hungry on a regular basis making a day of fasting not a choice, but a harsh reality.  The U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey showed Tennessee in 2020 as having a food insufficiency rate of 23.1%

Given how badly this state compares with many others, Lee will need far more than mere prayer and humility to remedy Tennessee’s numerous problems which include being the 11th poorest state with the 2nd highest number of minimum wage workers, having the 3rd highest crime rate, 10th highest rate of gun violence,  2nd highest number of hate groups, 3rd highest rate of drug abuse, and an uninsured population where 1 in 10 are without health coverage resulting in the closure of 16 hospitals.  None of this would seem to be much of a recommendation for the re-election of this governor.  

Additionally, it appears that he is intent on imposing a politically driven religious agenda across the state which includes using Hillsdale College-affiliated American Classical Education charter schools as a way to privatize public education and indoctrinate students with curriculum that teaches the U.S. was founded on “Judeo-Christian” principles — despite widespread opposition from school boards, parents, and teachers alike.  

That agenda includes helping to fan the moralistic flames of far-right conservatism which has led to irrational book banning and the imposition of verboten subjects which teachers are forbidden to discuss.   The decision to provide special license plates emblazoned with “In God We Trust” seems yet another divisive political ploy designed to ally and separate those who are religious from those who are not.  

Given the many unchristian-like laws for which this Governor and his MAGA-Republican majority are responsible, a day of prayer hardly seems sufficient atonement for their transgressions which include the criminalization of poverty ,  reproductive healthcare and attempting to amend the state constitution to forestall unions and higher wages.  

Even more egregious is the callous disregard for the lives, health and rights of pregnant women along with those of the LBGTQ community.   

The November 8 election provides Tennesseans an opportunity to elect those who understand and respect that a healthy democracy values people over politics and that the separation of church and state best serves the interests of everyone.