The ahistorical nature of religious feminism and the myth of the naked public square

This should be a short post as I just aim to share something of a light-bulb moment. 

First, in what I quote below, you will find a popular formation of the myth of the naked public square.  I am not going to analyze it as many minds, finer than mine, have already dealt the myth a death-blow.  Start with the work of First Things and founder Fr. Richard John Neuhaus to see what I mean.

It has been said that one who goes deep into history ceases to be Protestant.  There are times when I fear that is true (I say fear because I still am a Protestant, you see).  As a contemporary corollary to that I would offer the maxim that (using the generic masculine, take note): He who is steeped in reality ceases to be feminist. The feminist, not least the religious feminists, exists in a sort of culturally illiterate vacuum never before seen in public discourse.

Here, then, is part of a blog exchange which took place elsewhere this morning.  My words are in plain text, my respondents words are italicized:

My work focuses on women’s equality and I have found that almost every conversation can be brought to that subject.

Michelle Bachmann should not have been asked that question. Plain and simple. You would not ask Romney whether or not he believes that his wife should submit to him. Most Mormons do believe that, just as SBCers believe it, but it wouldn’t be asked.

It is time we took religion out of politics. Whether you are egalitarian, as I am, or whether you are complementarian, we should keep church and state separated. If not, one day we will wake up and find that we have a church-run country.

No man will ever be asked if his wife submits to him because no one cares – it does not affect his political decision-making whereas Bachman (who is a wife and not a husband) will be very much affected in her decision-making by her husband if she truly submits. Now that may be for political good or ill, but it is a legitimate question because it is a legitimate difference.

As for your longed-for naked public square – it is a myth.

“my longed-for naked public square” Whoa, where did that come from? And what does it mean?