Texas Republican Convention Includes Religious Themes

From Tuesday to Saturday of this past week, the Republican Party of Texas held its 2006 Convention. Today's Dallas Morning News reports on the heavy religious influence that pervaded the Convention. One of the scheduled functions on Saturday was a Prayer Rally at which party leader Tina Benkiser assured the delegates that God is chairman of the Party and was watching over the Convention. The Party Platform adopted on Saturday included language declaring that "America is a Christian nation" and that "God is undeniable in our history and is vital to our freedom." It continued, "We pledge to exert our influence toward a return to the original intent of the First Amendment and dispel the myth of the separation of church and state."