Rick Santorum yesterday joined many of the radical religious right’s brethren at the iPledge Sunday prayerfest and told followers that the Founding Fathers meant “pursuit of happiness” to mean “doing God’s will.”
“America is more than ‘stuff’,” Santorum told the audience whom watched online via streaming video. “Our founders said so, in that founding document.”
“And what were those rights? Life, liberty, freedom, to do what? To pursue happiness,” Santorum preached. Railing against “the popular culture” that teaches that happiness is “things that make you feel good,” like, “enjoyment,” Santorum equated “work” with “serving God’s will,” and added that when “our founders… said, ‘pursuit of happiness,’ go back and read the dictionary definition of ‘happiness’ at the time of our founders.”
“You will find that our founders understood that, as people at that time did, that true happiness comes from doing what you ought to do, doing what God has called you to do, and that is what they meant:Â To do the freedom God has given you to do what you ought to do to do God’s will.”
Santorum actually claimed that when the Declaration of Independence was written, the word “happiness” actually meant something else.
Well, Santorum is wrong. We did go back. The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776. Looking at the etymology of the word “happiness,” via the Online Etymology Dictionary:
1520s, “good fortune,” from happy + -ness. Meaning “pleasant and contented mental state” is from 1590s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
This is what happens when theocrats inject themselves into politics. They literally redefine everything. Just look at Right Wing Watch’s archives of David Barton.
iPledge Sunday was sponsored by two anti-gay hate groups, the American Family Association and the Family Research Council:
The event features Tony Perkins, Senator Rick Santorum, Bishop Harry Jackson, Kirk Cameron and other key Christian leaders for a 90-minute event celebrating Christian citizenship and exhorting Christians to rise up on Election Day to make our voices heard. Your church members will be informed, equipped, and challenged to advance faith, family and freedom in your local community.
iPledge Sunday will be the largest nationwide pre-election gathering of Christian voters. The goal is to mobilize Christians across our land to pledge to:
- Pray for the upcoming election.
- Prepare by registering themselves and others.
- Participate by voting on November 6.
Speakers will address the major issues we face as a nation – religious liberty, life, marriage, and the economy. Never in our history has there been a greater need for engaged, informed Christian citizens to stand up for faith, family and freedom. Action plans and resources from Family Research Council will make it easy for your church to become a simulcast host site.
Video via Right Wing Watch