Say Anything Blog

A while back I criticized Glenn Beck for making belief in God one of the principles in his 9/12 project, which is supposed to be a guiding set of principles and beliefs for the limited government movement.  A movement Beck himself aspires to lead.  I received a lot of criticism as a result of that post from people claiming that Beck wasn’t really trying to exclude non-Christians, areligious people or even outright atheists such as myself from the limited government movement.

I didn’t really buy that criticism then, and this monologue from Beck seems to cement my opinion of him:

Beck puts a lot of stock in being principled instead of partisan.  He puts a lot of stock in being authentically pro-limited government and not just pro-limited government when it’s convenient.  Beck (and many of his supporters) are prone to getting haughty about their willingness to be critical of both parties unlike other commentators such as, say, Sean Hannity.  And I respect all that.  I’d gladly vote for someone of any party if they were a genuine limited government leader, and certainly anyone familiar with my political commentary in writing and on the radio knows that I’m not afraid to criticize Republicans as well as Demcorats.  But I wonder how Beck can promote a limited government movement when he so clearly wants to exclude people whose beliefs on religion don’t line up with his?

For me, a truly limited government movement should have exactly one position on religion: You are free to believe what you want and practice your faith (or lack thereof) in your own way.

And this isn’t just about Beck’s beliefs.  Listen as he complains about new currency that doesn’t have “in God we trust” on it.  Clearly, Beck wants a Christian nation.  Or a nation that recognizes Christianity above other beliefs.

Now, outside of my personal rejection of Christianity, I don’t have a problem with that belief system.  I think that it’s wonderful that so many people can find aid and comfort and strength in faith.  But that should be a personal choice, not something endorsed by the government.

Beck apparently doesn’t understand that.  Which means that, despite all his posturing as a limited government warrior, Beck really isn’t all that different than other political commentators who can’t see past their own biases.