Do Liberals Hate God? Rep. Tod Akin Thinks So.

Last Sunday, NBC aired a telecast of Rory McIlroy becoming the youngest US Open champion in history at the age of 24.  The pre-taped introduction of the broadcast, however, included a version of the Pledge of Allegiance that omitted the phrase "under God," and that has some conservatives foaming at the mouth.  NBC has, of course, since issued an apology, claiming that they didn't want to offend anyone.  That's not enough for some.

Meet Rep. Todd Akin, a Republican from Missouri.  He thinks the omission is a symptom of something more sinister: nothing less than liberals' deep-seated hatred for God.

via ThinkProgress:

"AKIN: This was something that was done systematically, it was done intentionally, and is tremendously corrosive in terms of all of the values and everything that’s made America unique and such a special nation.

"PERKINS: Why would NBC do this?

"AKIN: Well, I think NBC has a long record of being very liberal and at the heart of liberalism really is a hatred for God and a belief that government should replace God. And so they’ve had a long history of not being at all favorable toward many of things that have been such a blessing to our country…This is a systematic effort to try to separate our faith and God, which is a source in our belief in individual liberties, from our country. And when you do that you tear the heart out of our country."

His spokesperson has since refused to apologize for the remarks, stating that while Akin wasn't attempting to editorialize on any individuals beliefs, he was demonstrating that conservatives believe that individual rights come from God, while liberals believe that rights come from the government.

And to that I say: BULLSHIT.

You don't use the phraseology "hatred of God" without meaning something very plain and specific.  IE: that liberals hate God.  You're not outlining a difference in the meaning of "human rights," you're quite simply accusing the progressive movement of having an intrinsic hatred of religious belief.  

I consider myself a spiritual (if not religious) liberal, and there are many others that see through the bullshit of his non-apology and take umbrage with the idea themselves.  Several liberal religious leaders issued statements to that effect:

"Faith Aloud, a counseling and advocacy group for reproductive health and rights, launched an online petition calling on Akin to apologize, and called the comment 'an outrageous insult to all who follow their faith toward policies of compassion and justice, and is not befitting a member of Congress.'

"Rev. Krista Taves of the Emerson Unitarian Universalist Chapel, said Akin must 'know very little about liberals,' and suggested conservative policies hurt vulnerable individuals.

"Vicky Trippe, a retired teacher and ProVote Activist from southwest Missouri, has heard this from political opponents before. In 2005, she launched a bumper and coined the phrase, 'Because of my faith, I vote for Democrats.'"

So I'd like to introduce you, Todd Akin, to the religious components of the liberal movement.  We feel, just as you do, that our various and (ahem, more) diverse faiths lead us to vote and believe the way we do, to include the separation of church and state.  So keep your platitudes about "rights from the government," blah blah blah bullshit.