Sorry to hear of your past. Thank God you weren’t in an atheist country instead, it could have been much worse.

Me: A often leads to B.
You: C leads to B. Therefore, A doesn’t.

Logical lapse. Sorry.

Have you ever lived in a country where the mix of religion and politics have caused problems and even violence? My family has. It’s not a good time.

And I’ve made the same rebuttal 3 times. Given that the worst oppression was not religious based, it is not a foregone conclusion that religious influence in government is a primary cause of oppression. If anything, religious influence moderates oppression from non-religious political opponents. If you disagree with me, that’s fine. If the point escapes you for the 3rd time, I’m done explaining it.

My biggest worry is the administration’s fiscal policy (of which DeLay was a champion) because it’s pushing massive debt onto future generations and it’s financing the government on foreign debt, which is ultimately a danger to both our economic and national security. These policies are paving the way for the US to suffer declining economic significance, declining living standards, and ultimately look more like a third-world country 100 years from now. That’s a hell of legacy to leave our kids, and there’s no reason for it. I look at my 3-year old nephew and worry about what kind of place we’re leaving for him.

DeLay was a major force behind the “K Street Project” which basically has been strongarming lobbyists into increased partisanship, poisoning the political climate in the capital even more.

I could go on, but my point is this: my problems with DeLay have nothing to do with him being a religious person. And when I talk to like-minded people I hear the same things. We don’t like DeLay because he’s part of a movement that’s destroying the security and stability of the United States.

I am sure you can find people who do have a problem with his religion, but to then assert that’s the “only reason” you can think of that people don’t like him is just silly.

As for my examples: no, you haven’t commented on them at all. I gave examples of places where the confluence of religion and government has had very ugly results. You haven’t challenged any of those examples, just said that they “stink,” and also said that other things can have similar bad results. None of which addresses my point in the least.

Disliking people only because of their religion (or lack thereof) is childish and short sided. Religion (or the pretense of religion as the case may be) does not a good person make. It is actions that count.