It’s telling when a Republican lawmaker, the Christian Civic League of Maine and a Christian Nationalist church reportedly have to resort to lying to get Mainers to sign their petition to overturn the already-approved will of the voters.

Travis Carey, senior pastor at Portland-area Calvary Chapel, is a co-sponsor of the proposed legislation to end recreational marijuana sales (“An Act to Amend the Cannabis Legalization Act and the Maine Medical Use of Cannabis Act”), along with Republican state Sen. Scott Cyrway and far-right religious lobby CCLME. 

Carey held a memorial for far-right ideologue Charlie Kirk at his church recently and said there “should not be a gap between politics and the church.” The CCLME has a long history of opposing marriage equality, recreational marijuana, abortion and trans rights in Maine. Cyrway is a coordinator for the failed and ineffective DARE program. 

When a politician, a religious political lobbyist and an extremist church condone trickery to force their morality on others who don’t share it, and do it under cover of religion, they are telling us who they are and what they believe. Listen to them. 

Perhaps these followers of Christ should spend more time studying what he said about lying and less time minding their neighbors’ business. 

Chris Burns
Bowdoin