I would never begrudge someone their faith. Religious freedom is enshrined in the First Amendment, and many people's faith is tied to tradition, community, and charity—all laudable elements of a strong social fabric. But what about when someone's religious beliefs encroach on others' freedoms—or worse, when someone's "faith" morphs into doom and gloom prophesies of God's wrath raining down on those who don't subscribe to the same beliefs?
For instance, would you want someone who believes California forest fires are God's wrath against the state for legalizing same-sex marriage to be elected to state government? Where, exactly, is the line between legitimate religious beliefs and wackadoodle cockamamie nonsense?
Well, allow me to draw your attention to the 30th District state Assembly race between Dawn Addis and Vicki L. Nohrden. Addis, a Democrat, is a bilingual educator and Morro Bay City Council member. Nohrden, a Republican, is president and founder of Wind and Fire Ministries and the author of the prophetic 72-page tome Breaking the Shield of Minerva, "a book about spiritual warfare and California's history, both written and that which is yet to be recorded!"
Mm. Prophecy! And yeah, she used an exclamation point on her book cover because this is serious business! See?!? It's a freakin' call to arms to "stand up and shine with God's glory."
So, what's her issue? In 2000, 61 percent of California voters agreed to make same sex marriage illegal via Prop. 22, and in 2008, the California Supreme Court decided that proposition was unconstitutional, and that consenting adults had a right to marry who they wanted. Outrageous!
"Although not mentioned by the media," Nohrden wrote in her book, "the decision of the justices had in fact violated the decree of a higher court whose voice they seemingly ignored."
Oh yeah? Which court? The U.S. Supreme Court? The Court of Public Opinion? Traffic Court? No, silly, she's talking about God!
"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and shall become united and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." —Genesis 2:24
Does the Bible say a man shall cleave to another man, or a woman to another woman, or a pansexual to a transwoman? No! God has spoken! But what about if you're a man being attacked by another man? The Bible says your wife isn't allowed to "seize" your attacker's "private parts" (Deuteronomy 25:11-12). I guess you're against that too, Vicki!
Nohrden went on to write that in 2004, then San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said he was willing to sacrifice his political career over the right to same-sex marriage: "I choose to agree with Mayor Newsom, not that gay men and lesbians have the right to marry, but that he may well sacrifice his career over this issue. The battle is not over."
Oh really? How's that working out for you, Vicki? Have you heard of Governor Newsom? More importantly, what was God's punishment for the court denying God's word? Let's turn to Nohrden's Chapter 2 "THE EARTH IS THE LORDS" (sic). Basically, she claims drought and wildfires are God's wrath for letting The Gays get married.
"There are times when the heavens are shut up over a land and the rain is withheld because we are choosing our own way," Nohrden wrote. "Deuteronomy 28 instructs us that we have a choice in the matter. If we obey God's commandments we receive the blessings from His hand or if we choose to disobey, protection [is] turned away from us."
And don't get Nohrden started on reproductive rights! "When a woman makes the choice to abort her baby, she is actually wiping out future generations within the seed of her aborted offspring."
Last I counted, there are 7.98 billion human beings—I think we're doing OK, abortion or not.
Let's do a quick tally. Nohrden is against same-sex marriage and believes God, not global climate change, is responsible for California drought and wildfires, and she doesn't want women to have the right to choose, and her book challenges all God's holy warriors to take California back from the antichrist heathens running things: "California needs a holy blood-washed birth."
Well, hell. She's got my vote! (Insert eyeroll.)
Meanwhile, in the race for Grover Beach mayor, things have gotten mud-slingy ... or maybe concrete-slingy! In one corner we have Mayor Pro Tem Karen Bright and in the other is Stacy Korsgaden, who's perhaps best known for attending the Jan. 6 Capitol Insurrection, whose violence she condemned but who was proud to be there anyway because ... democracy!
Apparently, lots of Bright's signs have been stolen or vandalized (painted over with concrete, really?), and Bright claims Korsgaden's mailer about her is full of lies. Korsgaden stands by her mailer but is shocked and knows nothing about the vandalized and missing signs, and somebody took some of her signs too, and-and-and ... .
Sheesh, Stacy! You're running for mayor of town of 12,711 people. Do you need to claim Karen voted to raise taxes by $1.8 million a year when she actually voted to put Measure F-20 (a 1 percent sales tax increase) on the ballot for voters to decide? Or that she increased homelessness? Or increased crime? I love the smell of desperation in the morning. Δ
The Shredder loves to hate politics. Commiserate at [email protected].
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