Holding The Line Between Church And State. Steve Williamson and Karen McClelland welcome Jeanne Casteen Executive Director of Secular Arizona, Arizona’s voice for the separation of religion and government.
As Karen states, “secular” does not mean atheist. The organization simply stands for the original intent of our nation’s founders – that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. She notes that many of the issues raised by Trump and MAGA, such as anti-abortion rights, anti-LGBTQ rights, book bans, etc. are based on religious beliefs that overstep the line of the constitutional separation between church and state.
Casteen says, “We have folks reaching out to us from every corner of Arizona letting us know: ‘Hey, this church is holding a political rally two weeks before the election.’ ‘This church is posting candidate signs.’ We can file these complaints all day long…”
She goes on to note some of the most recent attacks on the First Amendment by Christian Nationalists and the current administration saying, “These are not normal times.”