New Hampshire Tea Party agrees with Representative Andrew Manuse

It turns out that the New Hampshire Tea Party agrees with Representative Andrew Manuse: religion should be private, marginal and irrelevant.  It has its place in churches but should remain there.  At its website, the New Hampshire Tea Party states, "Some of us think that churches are supposed to be a connection to God and His moral authority for those who choose to be guided by this factor, and thus they should stick to the things of God which are the Ten Commandments..." (See here).

In other words, Christians should leave their beliefs in church where they belong.  But, as I said here, "The Gospel has political implications for those who follow Christ and who have a role to play in the political process."  As Christians, we believe that the responsibilities of citizenship constitute a very important part of our personal vocation.  Gaudium et Spes of the Second Vatican Council says, "May all Christians be aware of their special and personal vocation in the political community.  This vocation requires that they offer a shining example of devotion to duty and of service in promoting the common good, so that they also show by their deeds how authority can be harmonized with freedom, personal initiative with the interrelationships and bonds of the whole social body, and appropriate unity with beneficial diversity." (No. 75).

Those of us who are Christian are not second-class citizens.  But it would appear that the New Hampshire Tea Party Coalition views us as such.  We're permitted to be part of the political process as long as we do not let our Christian faith inform or shape our political values.

There has been a whole lot of anti-Catholicism erupting throughout the Granite State as of late.  We might just have the smoking gun here.