Quick Note: Non-Christians Are Going to Hell! (This Message Paid For With Your Tax Dollars)

Representative Louis Gohmert (R-Texas)

The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing this past week to delve into religious freedom.  

Reverend Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State was asked to appear and offer his perspective on the issue from the view of minorities. Instead, Representative Louis Gohmert (R-Texas) seemed determined to turn it into a trial about Reverend Lynn's personal beliefs.

Reverend Lynn introduced himself by explaining that he believes in religious freedom for everyone and his life's work has been promoting that right.  Apparently this upset Representative Gohmert, who immediately went on the offensive asking the Reverend if he understood that he should be promoting Christianity above all else, especially the concept that anyone who does not believe in Christ is going to hell.

Rep. Gohmert:  I'm curious, in your Christian beliefs, do you believe in sharing the good news that will keep people from going to to hell, consistent with the Christian belief?

Rev. Lynn:  I wouldn't agree with your construction of what hell is like or why one gets there.

Rep. Gohmert:  You don't believe somebody would go to hell if they do not believe Jesus is the way, the truth, the life?

Rev. Lynn responded that he does not believe there is "a specific set of ideas" guaranteeing a one-way ticket to hell.

Rep Gohmert:  No, not a set of ideas.  Either you believe as a Christian that Jesus is the way, the truth, the life or you don't. And there's nothing wrong in our country with that--there's no crime, there's no shame.

Rev. Lynn:  Congressman, what I believe is not necessarily what I think ought to justify the creation of public policy for everybody.  For the 2,000 different religions that exist in this country, the 25 million non-believers.  I've never been offended.  I've never been afraid to share my beliefs.

This whole exchange is offensive in so many ways, and Mr. Gohmert's self-important bullying is only one of them. 

But the question that I really want answered is, given our premise of separation of church and state, why is the "state" holding hearings on religion in the first place?   And, to follow that line of thinking further: why, if these hearings are being funded with tax dollars paid into the U.S. Treasury by Christians as well as Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Wiccans, atheists and agnostics when will the non-Christians be invited to "testify?"

Or are these Congressional hearings designed to establish that religious freedom is a right reserved only for Christians like Mr. Gohmert?