AS some of you might know, Marco Rubio has been tweeting Bible verses every day for quite some time. Here is yesterday’s tweet:
Do not say, “As they did to me, so will I do to them;
I will repay them according to their deeds." Proverbs 24:29— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) August 24, 2017
Well apparently this display of religion has irked an atheist group and now they are calling on Rubio to stop, citing the often misunderstood and misused notion of ‘Separation of Church and State’:
USA TODAY – Now a Wisconsin-based organization devoted to the separation of church and state is asking him to stop on the grounds that it’s unconstitutional.
“We have no issue with people reading and discussing the bible. The road to atheism is littered with bibles that have been read cover to cover,” Andrew L. Seidel, the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s director of strategic response, wrote to Rubio on Tuesday. “But it is not for the government in our secular republic to promote one religious book over others or to promote religion over nonreligion. Doing so violates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.”
Seidel continued: “By tying your government title to a social media page, you have intimately entwined your official position with the messages you send on that platform, creating the appearance of official endorsement.
The group claims 29,000 members nationwide, including 1,400 in Florida. Seidel wrote that his foundation was “contacted by several concerned citizens, including Floridians” about the tweets.
Rubio’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
But if his Twitter feed is any indication, the senator seems unmoved by the request. He continues to post Bible verses.
This is dumb on top of dumb. The Constitution protects free speech which is what Senator Rubio is exercising in these tweets. He’s not making laws respecting the establishment of religion nor is he making laws prohibiting the free exercise of religion. He’s just tweeting Bible verses via his social media account.
The fact that he’s a Senator is irrelevant to the entire argument, which is absurd anyway.
I’m glad Rubio is ignoring these requests because they don’t merit a response. And I seriously doubt they are going to sue because they would, at least in the end, lose badly.
Here’s what he tweeted today:
By patience is a ruler persuaded, and a soft tongue can break a bone.Proverbs 25:15
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) August 25, 2017
I have a suggestion for his tweet tomorrow: “Those who plan evil are in for a rude surprise, but those who work for good will find happiness.” – Proverbs 12:20
Feel free to post your own Bible verse suggestions. Maybe he’ll use them.