For me, history is repeating itself all over again. This is what happened in Iran. Little by little, the government became more powerful, and corrupt individuals started infiltrating key governmental decisions. By the time people realized they’d been deceived, they all acted like they’d known better all along, forgetting that they had once cheered and supported the establishment of that religious system as it crept into every aspect of life. Now, they can’t rid themselves of it—each time they cut off one leg, three more grow in its place.
Mixing politics with a single dominant religion—or any religion, for that matter—is a step backward in history. In the 21st century, we should avoid claiming that some religions are superior to others. Yet here we are, in one of the most religious nations on Earth, so proud of a Constitution that allows nine individuals to serve indefinitely on the Supreme Court, with the potential for a single-party majority or mix, shaping our laws.
It’s as though we’ve forgotten that the United States was built on lands taken from Indigenous peoples, starting in the late 1700s. This nation was established by settlers who brought enslaved people to serve their own comfort and practice their religion freely. It was also a nation unbothered by the massacre of Indigenous communities, like those in Jamestown in 1622, willing to eliminate any obstacles to expansion.
