Best Quote Ever About the Religious Right

I ran across something as I was researching some topics I want to discuss on this blog. It was a quote that happened during a Maryland state Senate committee hearing about a proposed amendment to prohibit same-sex marriages.

This quote is from Jamie Raskin, a college professor of constitutional law. He was at the hearing to offer testimony against the amendment. During the debate, he got into a verbal battle with Republican state senator Nancy Jacobs, a supporter of the amendment. At one point in the debate, Senator Jacobs said:

"As I read Biblical principles, marriage was intended, ordained and started by God - that is my belief. For me, this is an issue solely based on religious principals."

And Raskin's reply was:

"People place their hand on the Bible and swear to uphold the Constitution. They don't put their hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

And apparently there was applause when he said that.

Raskin's quote sums up what's wrong with the Religious Right's crusade. They are so intent on making their interpretation of the Bible into law that they will trample all over the Constitution to do it.

There's some interesting comments here and here about it. Apparently it's not exactly a new quote.

And yes I know this quote is over a month old. But I thinkk it's good enough to be mentioned over and over and over again.