Over the course of the nearly 400 columns I’ve written for the good people at Colorado Politics I have managed to tick off various groups of folks with my biting satire and clever insights (Ed: not to mention your tremendous modesty…). I’ve oft taken on a certain former president for his foolishness and have gotten a few emails questioning my understanding of events and my sagacity, to say nothing of my common sense. 

The story noted below reminded of the time I did a Hamilton show in a church in a western state. They had me change into my costume in the pastor’s office, and what caught my eye was the large stack of box after box of communion crackers, purchased from a bakery, it appeared. It seemed a tad odd that such a religious implement would be stacked like groceries on a shelf in a preacher’s office.

Which, of course, brings me to the Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces, New Mexico…

A story in Colorado Politics noted that a certain New Mexico state law maker reported being denied communion by his local Catholic priest, due to politics. The official, state Sen. Joseph Cervantes, said that he had felt a chill in the air of his church since he voted to repeal a New Mexico statute that banned abortion under nearly every circumstance. He tweeted his annoyance over the denial, which always is a good idea, right?

Now, I know I need to tread carefully here, as few things divide and polarize more effectively than religious beliefs. And I draw a very clear line (at least it is clear in my own mind) between organized religion and actual issues of faith. Those two are often, in my view, in conflict, and quite often hypocrisy abounds. For example, the same folks that think that a business should be able to refuse to provide services to an LGBTQ couple, because, you know, freedom, should not be allowed to require masks of those choosing to shop there. 

I have no observations to offer about one’s actual belief system and to whom one chooses to pray to or not. But I have a rather large bone to pick with many of the formal churches and other religious organizations. Isn’t it remarkable how often decisions about what God’s will really is seem to very closely align with the personal views of those announcing the divine view of things? And not surprisingly, given recent years, I’m not too impressed with the Catholic Church leadership.

Yet I expect that some of my liberal friends may be surprised by what I’m about to say: I’m kind of OK with the New Mexico Catholic Church deciding to whom they shall offer their magical religious services. If they want to deny communion to a particular state official based on his political beliefs, I think they can do that. The constitutional guarantee of religious freedom restricts the government from imposing its will on a church, not the other way around. 

Thomas Jefferson, when asked about what church he follows, responded by saying that he was a sect unto himself. I rather like that. And it is easier, and in my view often more just, when one is bounded by a personal moral code and belief system rather than by formal ecclesiastical entities that so often seem to merge their own goals with the purported goals of the divine. If a modern church wishes to proclaim the Flying Spaghetti Monster as their god, I’m OK with that. I’m OK with people deciding that all the major faiths are nonsense, and I’m OK with someone being devout, as long as they don’t require me to live my life by their particular religious code. 

So, if the Catholic Church of New Mexico wishes to refuse their little ceremony in which they claim a chunk of the aforementioned crackers transmogrify into something else, so be it. Frankly, I’d love to remove formal religion (again, the organizations, not personal beliefs) from politics, but I know that is a pipe dream. But if the wall of separation suggested by Mr. Jefferson means anything, it means that churches don’t get to dictate policy and governments don’t get to dictate religious dogma. 

All too often, I worry, in today’s world that wall is breached by zealots, and that is a bad thing for democracy.