Religion in Rhode Island is a political force to be reckoned with, according to conventional wisdom, but reality demonstrates otherwise. The only opposition to marriage equality in the state is based on the medieval religious beliefs of a small number of Catholics and Evangelicals who somehow hold an inordinate sway over key members of our General Assembly.
Rep. Karen MacBeth has reintroduced the odious and embarrassing ultrasound bill meant to erect new barriers between a woman and her right to access legal health care. The motivation for this bill is religious, and has nothing to do with preserving women’s health.
This state of affairs is doubly ridiculous because Rhode Island is just not that religious. A Gallop Poll released yesterday shows Rhode Island as being tied with Oregon as the fifth least religious state in the country. Only Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont are less religious.
In all, 29% of Rhode Islanders identify as very religious, 27% identify as moderately religious, and a whopping 44% identify at nonreligious. I know that the nonreligious don’t want religion warping politics and legislation in our state, and I also know that many who identify as moderately or even very religious also respect the Constitution of the United States and the sanctity of the separation of church and state.
The message to our legislators and other elected officials could not be more clear: Rhode Island is a secular state, our religious beliefs are our private concerns, and we don’t want religion in our laws.
I think it is time more ‘nones’ start running for pubic office. That way when the Catholic church trots out it’s rotund lobbyist we can simply tell him, in not so many words, to fuck off!
Hey, at this point, the “Some of my best friends are Catholic,” line sounds a little corny. But I doubt that you can live in Rhode Island for very long without that being true.
Ever hear of sectarian violence? Like the stuff that goes on between the Sunni and the Shi’a? Or the Irish Catholics and the Ulstermen?
Do we really need more feuds over here?
Literacy, empathy, and willingness to engage in dialogue produce so much more and cause so much less hardship.
Tightknit groups do tend to lord it over the less organized.
So, let’s organize around civic questions in peace and good will.
I don’t imagine that anything is going to improve greatly in the shortrun. In fact, my gut tells me that times will get worse for quite a while before they get better. Wagon circlers will continue to circle the wagons, elbowing others out.
Let’s just have different shortcomings and make different mistakes on the road to better neighborhoods, a better culture, and a deeper understanding of each other during times of adversity.