If you read this blog, you’re probably the kind of person that, for one reason or another, knows the name Barry Lynn. But in case you don’t, here’s a brief refresher.
For starters, it’s the Rev. Barry Lynn.
Rev. Lynn is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. He’s an accomplished lecturer and has written books on matters of faith in public life. He’s also the recipient of the Medal of Freedom from the Roosevelt Institute for his work in protecting the freedom to worship.
The Rev. Lynn also supports the separation of church and state, which is why he’s been the executive director of our friends over at Americans United for Separation of Church and State since 1992.
So, naturally, during a House hearing on Tuesday, Rep. Louie “Terror Babies” Gohmert, R-Texas, had to make sure that Rev. Lynn had his Christian bona fides in order:
I’m curious, in your Christian beliefs, do you believe in sharing the good news that will keep people from going to hell, consistent with the Christian belief?
Here’s video of the exchange:
dear god, can you please take this f–king moron and do something else with him and rid us of his stupidity?
Ha! Louis Gohmert is such a bigot. He publicly and shamefully harassed and baited Barry Lynn and tried to characterize him as a false Christian by implying that there is only a single correct set of beliefs about Jesus (Gohmert’s beliefs) and that only someone who shares Gohmert’s beliefs about Jesus will not go to Hell. As Lynn knows, and as Gohmert should know, there are many, many different types of Christians who have many, many different and conflicting beliefs about Jesus, what he said, what he meant, and how one should live one’s life. Lynn correctly did not claim that Gohmert’s personal beliefs about Jesus were wrong, but he did support secularism so everyone could believe their own particular set of beliefs.
Estimates of the number of Christian religions, denominations, sects, cults, etc. in the world TODAY vary from 20,000 to 23,000. Just google “estimated number of christian religions sects today” to confirm this amazing number. And that’s just one major denomination, Christianity. There are a dozen major denominations in the world today with no doubt tens of thousands of different religions/sects/cults/practices and personal philosophies in the world today, and probably hundreds of thousands over the course of human history.
There are dozens to hundreds of different specific varieties of personal philosophies or worldviews in the world today just based on atheism or humanism. Or, as I like to say, millions of these personal philosophies or worldviews–one for each freethinker. The only way for a state, country, or government to handle this incredible diversity of human thought about spiritual things without creating needless conflict or inflicting human pain is by adopting secularism as a governing principle for every public institution. Lynn has always supported secularism, the separation of religion and government (or church and state), and he quite admirably does so to bigot and baiter Louie Gohmert.
So gohmert needs to understand the jesus beliefs of someone during a congressional hearing. This is exactly why we need the separation of church and state. The christian bigots cannot mind their own business. The republicans, particularly of Texas, are beyond comprehension in their science denying, backward leading, foot-dragging, jebus loving ..s-clownery.
As Molly Ivins once wrote about an earlier Louie Gohmert type, “If he were any lower on the IQ scale, we’d have to water him twice a week.”