Arkansas Online is reporting that Franklin Graham has discovered evidence that the First Amendment is having a growing influence on American government, and he’s none too happy about it.

Thousands of worshipers flooded the state Capitol on Tuesday to hear evangelist Franklin Graham declare that “godless” politics are taking over governments across the 50 states he is touring…

The greatest applause came when Graham argued against political correctness and the separation of church and state.

“Secularism and communism are the same thing. They are both godless,” Graham said. “We have every right to speak up; we have every right to take our faith into the halls of government.”

And we’d have gotten away with it too, if it hadn’t been for that pesky Constitution thing.

Besides being a bit confused about the definitions of “secularism” and “communism,” Graham and his followers seem a bit unclear on the concept of cause-and-effect.

Adam Leavins, a 37-year-old pastor at the Unlimited Church in Maumelle, came with his wife and four daughters.

Wearing a black shirt with a red cross and the words “this shirt is illegal in 53 countries” Leavins said there is a “slippery slope” from secularism to countries where Christians are persecuted.

“We see in lots of states that if you disagree with that, you get shut down,” Leavins said.

Yes, that’s because those countries don’t have a First Amendment or separation of church and state. (Assuming there even are 53 countries that bother to have laws against black shirts with red crosses, which is rather doubtful given the kind of fact-free diet so many die-hard believers seem to be addicted to.) The only “freedoms” Christians are losing in the US are the traditional privileges that allowed them to shut down anybody who disagreed with them, or who practiced a different faith, or even no faith at all. We are leveling the playing field, and increasing the number of people who have similar privileges to everyone else.

The crucial point that Graham and his ilk seem to be missing is that when you grant equality and liberty to everybody, that means you give it to people who are not Christians as well as to people who are Christians. And that, in turn, means that Christians aren’t allowed to dominate the government in ways that penalize non-Christians. A godless government is exactly what should happen when we’re doing that whole First Amendment thing right.

You don’t like that? Tough. Move to one of those 53 countries where religion in government dictates what people can and cannot do. Or wait for God to come back and set up his own government. I hear that’s supposed to happen any day now, right? And if it hasn’t happened yet, it’s because it’s all part of his wonderful, mysterious, perfect design. Right? So if you don’t like his plan, or the way he’s carrying it out, don’t come whining to me about it. That’s between you and him.

Meanwhile, sit back and enjoy that First Amendment that’s protecting your freedom to travel, unimpeded, to all 50 states so you can spread your baseless bullshit to thousands of gullible conservatives everywhere.