"If you're not electing Christians, then in essence you are going to legislate sin"

I often use the phrase 'Theocracy Brigade' in reference to practitioners of American politicochristianity. Maybe I should use the phrase 'Christianism' since it mirrors Islamism, which is politicized Islam.

In any case, I've been occasionally criticized for my use of the phrase 'Theocracy Brigade.' Such people really don't exist, I'm told. Just because people are Christian doesn't mean they are theocrats.

And of course, that goes without saying. Though many have implied that all Muslims are terrorists, I've never said or implied that all Christians are theocrats. Though about 3/4 of Americans describe themselves as Christians, certainly not all of them are theocrats.

However, it's flies in the face of reality to deny that such people exist. Being a theocrat doesn't mean being Christian. Being a theocrat means believing your religion should be the basis for public policy in this country.

A good example of such a person is Rep. Katherine Harris, who's running for the US Senate.

Harris first became infamous for her role in the controversial 2000 presidential election race, in which she, as Florida's supposedly neutral secretary of state, aided fellow theocrat George W. Bush.

Recently, she launched a scathing attack on opponents of the Theocracy Brigade.

According to The Washington Post, Harris said this week that God did not intend for the United States to be a "nation of secular laws" and that the separation of church and state is a "lie we have been told" to keep religious people out of politics.

This is one of the most delusional statements I've ever heard. All I can say is that if the separation of church and state was designed to keep religious people out of politics, it's failed miserably. The US has the most religious-tinged political climate of any western country. (Think of it this way: can you imagine an avowed atheist being elected president)

She went one step further. She said that non-Christian legislators are responsible for all the immoral laws on the books; that non-Christian legislators are incapable acting in a moral law.

"If you're not electing Christians, then in essence you are going to legislate sin," she explained.

I have no problem with Christians serving as public officials. I do not believe that you must check your religion at the door, especially since religion has a large influence on the morality and conscience of believers. Personally, I was raised a Catholic and it helped define a large chunk of my moral code, particularly with respect to issues of social justice.

To check your religion at the political door is in many cases tantamount to checking your morality at the door. Too many politicians, especially self-proclaimed Christian ones, do that already and one only needs to look at Iraq and Lebanon for the consequences.

However, a legislator's job is to represent the best interest of his or her constitutents. ALL of the constitutents, not just the Christian ones. Any person who's so fanatical as to equate electing non-Christians with legislating sin is completely unfit to serve as dog catcher, let alone as a US Senator.

The Harris campaign defended her comments by stating, "Congresswoman Harris encourages Americans from all walks of life and faith to participate in our government."

Except apparently for those sin-promulgating non-Christians.

The fact that someone like Katherine Harris has a good chance of winning a statewide election in one of America's most populous states is proof that the Theocracy Brigade is no figment of anyone's imagination.