Picture this: A place where violence, sexual promiscuity, greed, and sin are all abolished. Imagine a place where everyone gets along, peace is abundant, and life is good. The only problem? It would be run by the firm hand of fundamental Christians. The place is called South Carolina, and if the people involved with the Christian Exodus have it their way, this fundamental Christian state could be a reality by the year 2014.
Christian Exodus began in Valley Springs, a small town in Central Valley. It all started with two men; Cory Burnell and Jim Taylor, men who are convinced that the Christian-based government of America is going down the crapper.
“Our Christian republic has declined into a pagan democracy,” Burnell is quoted as saying.
Founded in November 2003, ChristianExodus.org has been relocating Christians to South Carolina for at least a year. The hope of the organization is to relocate at least 12,000 people in order to effect changes that will establish more religious laws and standards. One of the many far-fetched plans of organization leaders such as Burnell is to one day severely reduce or abolish property and income taxes.
The ultimate dream of Burnell is the secession of a targeted state (South Carolina) from the United States in order to create an independent Christian nation. Would a Christian fundamentalist state be any different than a Muslim fundamentalist state, such as Afghanistan was before the U.S. arrived? The answer is no, and if the United States had the audacity to go to war over a country thousands of miles away, it would not sit idly by as one of it’s own states was overpowered by a religious movement. There would be bloodshed.
In this day and age, fundamentalists of all religions are constantly at war with each other. From America to Zimbabwe, the effect of religion is the most widespread cause of death in the world, bringing pain and suffering because of a disagreement in beliefs.
George Carlin once said, “I’m completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.”
He’s right.
