Thousands of opponents of Indiana Senate Bill 101, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, gathered on the lawn of the Indiana State House to rally against that legislation Saturday, March 28, 2015. Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed a bill Thursday prohibiting state laws that “substantially burden” a person’s ability to follow his or her religious beliefs. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)

” Only Whites Served Here.”  I remember sitting in my Catholic Junior High Civics class in Guam at a picture in my text book learning about a time in America not so far back where that was a reality in many places of commerce in America.  Many justified it because of their religious faith.  That somehow, the darker a man’s skin color was made him less worthy to be treated or receive the same services at a place of business. They used the Bible to justify their actions.

Now I was a young man of brown skin who was raised in a household where that the concept of that kind of segregation was so foreign.  My parents and grandparents faced it as locals under United States Military government , where laws separated the locals and those who were not ( the military). Fines were given to natives for speaking their native language in public.  These acts were not as grievous as those that were made against African Americans, but the notion of secondary humanship did prevail.

But even in my household as progressive as it was,  judgement based on religious belief existed. it is always interesting me that on one hand there is this set of principles to advocate love for all and  on the other hand there is this practice to alienate and speak out against those who do not follow your idea of how to live life. In the most mutated forms of these beliefs , they become militant either in violence and in legislative mandates.

So when a state or government chooses to legislate that citizens can deny another citizen access to business services , or being able to have access to services and goods, or government services, because of the religious beliefs of the person providing  the services  or the business owners, we truly have stepped back into a time when we have allowed theocracy to trump democracy,   But really what it veils is that we have allowed, bigotry and hate to be legislated as the law of the land.

So recent events in Indiana and trends in places like Arkansas, prove that issues like same sex marriage and equality for Gays, only have brought to the surface the hold that these radical right wing elements have on pushing their segregating agendas under the guise of a backwoods Americanized version of Christianity. This form of Christianity has at its core a very ethnocentric view of the manifest destiny of America as the bastion of  Christian’s modern army to promulgate its very narrow view of radical fundamental homegrown Jesus fanaticism into the law of the land.

They have made it to their goal to intertwine patriotism with adherence to this particular cult belief system of Jesus . It has caused some of the most insane kinds of political times in America with some of its most disturbing political players in history.

What is sad is that millions of Americans have bought into the rhetoric either confirming their own bigotry or their own ignorance of the impact of such damaging legislation…or both.

My thoughts are that the majority of us have been silent too long and we have to finally say to these insane people who have taken over our statehouses, politics, airwaves, enough is enough!  Your America is not our America!  We are taking back our country, for the people and by the people …from all backgrounds, races, beliefs, and sexual orientations.