Left-baiting …

Posted by Joshua Holland at 9:12 AM on March 3, 2006.

This is a trap:

Missouri legislators in Jefferson City considered a bill that would name Christianity the state's official "majority" religion.

House Concurrent Resolution 13 has [sic] is pending in the state legislature...

Karen Aroesty of the Anti-defamation league, along with other watch-groups, began a letter writing and email campaign to stop the resolution.

The resolution would recognize "a Christian god," and it would not protect minority religions, but "protect the majority's right to express their religious beliefs.

The resolution also recognizes that, "a greater power exists," and only Christianity receives what the resolution calls, "justified recognition."

State representative David Sater of Cassville in southwestern Missouri, sponsored the resolution, but he has refused to talk about it on camera or over the phone. [via Atrios]

First, let me say that this is far too wing-nutty to get by even Missouri's Repub-led House and Senate. The fact that the bill's sponsor won't talk about it tells you it isn't likely to fly.

But people who write bills like this aren't trying to make law. Their intent is to further the right's narrative that Christians are a persecuted minority under siege. They want to guarantee that the good folks at the Anti-defamation league, the ACLU and Americans United fight to have their silly legislation overturned, proving that those civil rights groups have an anti-Christian agenda (and perhaps even a direct association with Satan). And bills like this -- you couldn't write a piece of legislation that more obviously violates the Establishment Clause --are meant to give those groups a victory in court, thereby proving the existence of out-of-control activist judges dedicated to stymieing the popular will of the Christian majority.

You can see it coming a mile away. But being forewarned doesn't make you forearmed; you'd have no choice but to jump right in and grab that bait with both hands.

Bastards.

Joshua Holland is a staff writer at Alternet and a regular contributor to The Gadflyer.