It looks like Texas State Board of Education Chairwoman Barbara Cargill, R-The Woodlands, has some serious fence-mending to do after implicitly questioning the faith of some of her board colleagues last week. After telling Texas Eagle Forum activists that she was one of only “six true conservative Christians on the board,” Cargill heard from a Republican colleague who apparently didn’t make her list. According to the Houston Press, board member and fellow Republican board member Bob Craig of Lubbock called Cargill to give her a piece of his mind:
“I was offended that her comments seemed to indicate that only six people on the board were Christians. I am a Christian and very active in First United Methodist Church here in Lubbock. I have very strong religious beliefs, so that kind of comment did not sit well with me.”
Another Republican board member, Thomas Ratliff of Mount Pleasant, released a statement:
“It’s an unfortunate start to her tenure as chairwoman. These kind of comments only further divide the board rather than bring us together for the benefit of our students and our schools. I look forward to better days ahead for our new chair.”
Don’t hold your breath, Thomas. Cargill — appointed by Gov. Rick Perry as board chair less than two weeks ago — is just following in the footsteps of other far-right board colleagues who question the faith of people (here and here, for example) who think the board should stop dragging our public schools into the culture wars.
Just another person trying to play that “I am the bigger Christian” game. I mean, she and Perry ought to be getting their gold stars and t-shirts declaring this!! Again we see our children are the ones who suffer once religion is brought into the political arena. I wish they would both actually do something to convince us of their “awesome Christian spirit” instead of standing around and saying, “But I am a (bigger and much better) Christian than everyone else around me, just look!!!!
I hope Thomas Ratliff doesn’t disappoint. He was elected as a moderate Republican. I hope he doesn’t push anti-science in our curriculum. Once again, sorry for that clueless simpleton known as Charlie Garza. I wish Nunez would of won.
Duh!
“Strongly guarded as is the separation between Religion and Government in the Constitution of the United States, the danger of encroachment by Ecclesiastical Bodies may be illustrated by precedents already furnished in their short history,” James Madison, “Father of the Constitution,” W&MQ, 3: 555, c. 1817.
Did Bob Craig and Thomas Ratliff respond by quoting the above to Barbara Cargill? Is it not past time for someone to explain the constitutional principle upon which this nation was founded and insist that it be taught in public schools?
I’m glad they spoke their minds. They need to do that more often, as in every time one of the extremists says or does something objectionable. Yes, that would keep them quite busy.
Here is what I want taught in Texas public schools: verifiable science; actual historical data of the US; honest
information of biology of people and animals; beneficial health practices from hand washing to pregnancy
prevention; spoken and written-in cursive English language; knowledge acquisition through technology; and
ethical behavior in a civilized society. Is this impossible? If the Board members want something else, I wish
they would seek another office where their interest can be developed.
Some Christians, as an official church policy, believe that only they and those exactly like them are real Christians. All other Christians (who are not really Christians—not really) and the rest of the human population at large are workers who serve and worship Satan, the Force of Evil in the world, Entropy—whatever you want to call it. These people also enjoy taking the position of “I am in” and “You are out.” These people also enjoy taking the position “I am first” and “You are last.” Every time a new Texas SBOE Chairman is refused confirmation by the Texas Legislature, which has happened twice now, these fruitcakes need to remember the words of Jesus:
1) “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.” (Matthew 20:16)
2) For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11)
Babs Cargill and that whole far right conservative lot on the Texas SBOE have a “me first” and a “personal exaltation” problem that needs some really serious work.
Finally, I would like to say a few personal words to Bob Craig and Tom Ratliff. There is no shame in being an intelligent, sensible, balanced, common sense conservative Republican. I have a great deal of respect for Republican men like Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush—and even Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Reagan was not nearly as extreme right conservative as some of his latter day followers want to believe—and his record in office proves that. If that were not true, we would have all been incinerated in a nuclear war back in 1985.
Ronald Reagan was conservative, but he also combined that with intelligence and everyday common sense. He was not eaten up alive by extremist ideology like Babs Cargill and the other far right extremists on the Texas SBOE. All I ask of you two in the coming months and years on the Texas SBOE is to be sensible and balanced individuals who intelligently work for the well being of Texas school children and their future lives as Texas citizens. That is all that TFN can ask. That is all that I can ask
I too am offended that the reality of your Christian faith was criticized by some of your colleagues on the SBOE. This was not their job to do, and they owe you an apology.
Welcome to the Texas SBOE Mr. Ratliff. It is nice to have a conservative adult on the board. With regard to Babs Cargill and the others like her on the Texas SBOE, I would kindly and respectfully offer you this advice: “When an adult like you is working with children in any context, the adult is always in charge.” Never forget that. The adult is always in charge.
What happened to disappoint Ms. Cargill? Were their churches’ alter candles the wrong color? Skirts too short to pray properly? A difference of opinion in a loving God versus a punishing God?
I suspect she wasn’t so much calling him No True Christian as calling him No True Conservative.
Craig and Ratliff should just flat-out ask her if she considers them to be Christians. Put her on the spot. Make her come right out with it, so she can’t claim to be misinterpreted.
I think she was doing both. The net tendency of people like Babs is to believe that they are personally infallible and that any criticism that comes their way is persecution because of their religious beliefs. They never stop to consider the fact that they are fallible human beings just like everyone else, and they are capable of doing monumentally stupid things. Criticize them anytime, and they run immediately to the shelter of:
“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” (John 15:18)
I am sorry to have to tell them this, but you do not have to hate Jesus before you can call someone on doing something monumentally stupid.
To the tune of “My dog’s better than your dog” commercial
My God’s better than your God,
My God’s better than yours.
My God’s better ‘cuz she wears underwear,
My God’s better than yours.
It is my firm belief that Christian Radicals all have an incurable mental disorder. People like her would condemn me to hell because I am not a Christian. My religion says that all human beings who keep rules such as not worshiping idols, not cutting off a limb of an animal that is alive, etc. have just as much right to the world to come as anyone else; we do not hold ourselves to be better than others.
Cargill probably does not know that there is no religious test required for persons to serve on boards such as the one she thinks she is intelligent enough to run. Nor, like the majority of her kind of “Christian” does she follow the commands that the founder of her faith, else she would have never said what she did. [Holy cow! It is currently 0032 Saturday morning as I type this and we just had a brown out!]
Leviticus 19:18 says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” she certainly does not obey that, even when it appears in her “bible.”
People like her make me physically ill; the fact that we have so many people with mental diseases trying to run this state and this country. Am I calling Christianity a mental disease? No. I am calling members of the Radical Christian Wrong (there isn’t one damned thing right about them) a bunch of mentally deficient people. Their twisting of their religion is atrocious. It has nothing to do with real Christianity.
The Reverend Rick Perry is another mentally challenged Christian; he called all Americans to join him in that obnoxious call to prayer…all CHRISTIANS, that is. No other religions are welcome. Does the Rev. Perry obey what the founder of his faith said? Hell no! Jesus said quite clearly in Matthew 6:6 “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” In fact, Jesus said that those who DO pray in public are hypocrites! So what does that say about Rev. Perry and that Cargill person? THEY ARE HYPOCRITES as are ALL Christians who insist on praying in public.
I have stopped attending meetings of a company to which I am licensed by the state to sell. Why? The hypocritical morons insist on PRAYING A DISTINCTLY CHRISTIAN PRAYER BEFORE THE MEETINGS BEGIN. How do I know it is a Christian prayer? Because, in the first place, the god to whom they pray has a major case of ADD. After every few words they must say Father, god…blah blah blah, father god god our father…Jesus told them not to use lots of words when they prayed in their closets. The other way I know it is Christian is they end with “for we ask this in the name of Jesus.”
While I was in the hospital a few years ago, the chaplain came into my room. He knew I was not a Christian and he was a really nice chap so when he asked if he could pray for me I said sure. BAM, he ended the prayer in the name of you-know-who. He got so embarrassed that I had to laugh and gave him a hug. I was not offended in the least because it is almost impossible for them to pray without that ending. I know he didn’t mean to say what he did and we parted in good spirits because he was SO sincere. But when someone gets up in public and doesn’t give a damn about anyone else’s feelings, I leave and I do not return.
Sorry to post so long a comment but I have diarrhea of the fingers .