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Rep. Hartzler: ‘Christianity Is The Main Religion’

In just her first year in office, Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) has proven to be one of the most socially conservative members of Congress, and today she demonstrated just how intolerant she is of people who do not share her beliefs. In an interview, she and the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins were condemning the Air Force Academy for creating an outdoor worship space that accommodates “Earth-based” religions. Hartzler said she believes that her rabidly conservative brand of Christianity is “the main religion in our country” and condemned any attempt to accommodate “fringe religions”:

PERKINS: Do you see this as a part of a growing trend that we see that there is really kind of a marginalization of Christianity and almost a promotion of other forms of, I would have to say, fringe religions?

HARTZLER: I agree, I think so. Christianity is the main religion in our country and as a policy for the Department of Defense we need to defend the practice of religion but we do not have to obligate taxpayer funds to facilitate or accommodate it or pay for it.

PERKINS: Is it the government’s role to try to put all religions on the same plane?

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HARTZLER: No, it’s not their role at all. Their role is to facilitate basic policy for our country and to not to try to lift up one religion over the other. They should be defending the basic rights that we have, that freedom of religion here, and certainly not facilitating or accommodating fringe religions. It’s crazy.

Listen, via Right Wing Watch:

Hartzler seems to believe it’s OK if the government accommodates her fringe brand of Christianity, as she has pursued legislative options to discriminate against same-sex couples in the military and applauded Speaker John Boehner for defending the Defense of Marriage Act using taxpayer funds. Perhaps she should spend some time with the First Amendment so she better understands how it’s unconstitutional both to establish her religious belief as law and to prevent others from the free exercise of their own beliefs.