NYS Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr.: "I am the church, I am the state"

[kenshin304]

Holy shit fail.

[jinx630]

The drafting of the US constitution was aided by anti-theocrats that assured that there would be a separation of church and state so as to protect each institution from one another--written so in the first amendment. The notion was later re-established by (alleged atheist/agnost and 1 of the brightest minds to ever hold office) Thomas Jefferson with his phasing of the clause as "separation of church and state." Whether Diaz can understand the phrasing of the first amendment or not is his problem

[lachlanhunt]

Assuming the subtitles were a correct translation, he just made a straw man argument. Separation of church and state doesn't say that religious people can't be involved in state affairs, as he implied by his "I am the state, I am the church" argument. Rather, it basically means that religious policies shall not specifically interfere with state policies and vice versa, at least not without valid secular reasons.

[lilliansmart]

@lachlanhunt The translation is accurate; I speak Spanish. Good points you make, he is making a straw man argument. The guy is a scary theocrat!