Christian Watch

Florida is debating whether to add christianity to their line of theme-based liscence plates. This is the brain child of House Democrat Edward Bullard who apparently feels that it’s OK for the Florida congress to make a law respecting an establishment of religion. Perhaps the hair that he’s splitting in his mind is that the first line of the first amendment to the Federal constitution only applies to the Federal congress and the Floridian congress can do whatever the hell it wants.

I tend to disagree as should anyone with a brain. The design of the plate that contains a cross and the phrase “I Believe” obviously promotes christianity. And buying the plate requires an extra $25 which will go to a nonprofit organization promoting faith-based education. If that phrase doesn’t creep you out then you have no imagination.

But these are the lines that started to be blurred in the first months of acting-president George W. Bush’s administration when the Federal government began giving money to religious organizations. I don’t like slippery-slope arguments but this certainly appears to be what’s going on here.

So, you’re a christian and you don’t really have a problem with this. Consider that if Florida does this they will have to make tags available with Jewish, Hindi, and even *gasp* Islamic iconography plastered on it. And the money raised from these sales can continue to go to those educational organizations but they’ll have to include organizations from those other religions. Are you OK with that, too? How about Scientology? You see where this is going, right? Just buy you’re bumper stickers and fish symbols and be happy with that.