One of the saddest episodes of religious fanaticism intersecting with politics was reported in Pennsylvania recently where a family of three died in an apparent suicide pact.
Morgan Daub, 26, and her parents, James Daub, 62, and Deborah Daub, 59, were found shot dead in their backyard in York County on Jan. 25. Local police said that notes found inside the house indicated the family made a “joint decision” to end their lives. The house showed no signs of forced entry or a struggle, and the investigation has been closed.
As reported by Daniella Silva of NBC News, people who knew the family expressed shock over the deaths. Morgan was described as homeschooled and shy by members of the local bowling community.
Bret Stabley, who operates the pro shop at Bowlers Supply in York, said Morgan and her mother were close and longtime customers. He gave lessons to Morgan over the years, and she was an accomplished bowler. However, they rarely visited the bowling alley after the start of the pandemic a few years ago.
Stabley said the Christian, church-going family “was never shy about letting anybody know what their beliefs were” when it came to religion and politics. Morgan and Deborah were “very, very huge” Trump supporters, he added.
“They were just so hell-bent on Trump winning, like this could be the end if he didn’t,” Stabley said, referring to the 2020 election. He said he stopped seeing them after that.
A neighbor who asked to remain anonymous said the family had a preoccupation with religion, especially on the dad’s part. The front yard was “littered” with pro-Trump signs during the election and anti-abortion signs when Roe v. Wade was overturned, the neighbor said.
While the Daub tragedy is an exceptional example of religious fanaticism, many mainstream religious leaders are concerned about politicians interjecting religion into political discussions.
The best case of this is Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, who recently told worshippers at a religious service that, “The church is supposed to direct the government. The government is not supposed to direct the church.”
She added, “I’m tired of this separation of church and state junk that’s not in the Constitution.”
Actually, the only mention of religion in the Constitution is in Article Six: “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”
Further, the concept of religious neutrality is memorialized in the First Amendment which states: “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Thomas Jefferson characterized the First Amendment clauses as “building a wall of separation between Church and State.”
Today, U.S. democracy is under threat again, and the biggest danger our country faces to remain a democratic republic is overzealous Christians who want “the church to direct the government,” said David Currie in an op-ed in the Good Faith Media. Currie holds a Ph.D. in Christian ethics. He is also the retired executive director of the Texas Baptists Committed and current board member of the Interfaith Alliance in Washington, D.C.
“I respect Christians, Jews, Muslims and any religious person holding deep convictions about their faith. However, when they seek to use government to enforce their particular religious beliefs on others, then they’re destroying the nation our Founding Fathers intended when this country was formed,” Currie said.
“An America controlled by the Religious Right will have no public school system. It will have no freedom for anyone to live a lifestyle that is different than their narrow definition of family and sexuality. America will lose basic civil and human rights,” he added. “Government controlled by any religion is a government that no longer guarantees freedom for its citizens regardless of which religion is doing the controlling.”
