| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Seldom Seen Smith" |
| Date: |
18 Nov 2004 09:45:06 PM |
| Object: |
Right to believe, or not, under seige |
By the Delaware Coast Press, 11/17/04:
http://www.delmarvanow.com/deweybeach/stories/20041117/1606750.html
Right to believe, or not, under seige
By Joyce Mullins
Your right and mine to practice the religious faith of our convictions
-- or not to do so -- is under siege.
Some Americans who think of themselves as Evangelical Christians, or
Born Again Christians, or Fundamentalist Christians, might not see
themselves as threatened by religion's influence on our government.
You may even think you are sitting in the catbird seat, a place the
Random House Dictionary of American Slang translates as "in a position
of ease."
You may think you have nothing to gain by protecting the
Constitutional principle of the separation of church and state.
Wrong.
No one's religious rights are protected if this principle is
discarded.
Our founders knew what they were doing when they included this
principle in the framework of their new country, fleeing, as many of
them had, from countries where the King considered himself equal to
God.
They had escaped living in a theocracy where there was no difference
between government and a specific religion.
They knew they did not want their children and their children's
children to live in a theocracy.
They knew they wanted everyone to have the right to choose his or her
religion.
They knew that unless they spelled out very carefully that government
could not require a specific religion from its citizens and unless
they guaranteed that we are all allowed to openly practice the
religion of our choice, that someone could take that right away from
us.
That is why they wrote, "Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."
Because of their foresight, Catholics and Protestants have churches in
close proximity to one another in towns and cities all across America.
Most towns and cities have a synagogue and some of the larger cities
have mosques and houses of worship for Buddhists and Hindus.
This right to believe as we choose is a point of pride for most
Americans.
We don't need soldiers and barricades to separate us.
We don't shoot our neighbors because they believe differently from
ourselves.
Hate crimes are an aberration, punishable by law.
Yet, because of the zeal, and the fears of many otherwise good people,
plus many who simply do not know the harm they are doing, we are
facing the most serious threat to this right that this nation has ever
known.
If you don't believe it, take note of the open pressure that some
religious leaders are putting on our elected officials to make laws
according to their religious beliefs.
They call themselves "Christians."
It's a misnomer.
There are too many people who consider themselves Christian who don't
want to be mistaken as allied with their intolerant and politically
manipulative behavior for that to be true.
But, some people who call themselves Evangelical Christians are in the
post-election headlines enjoying credit for the Republican victory.
Many are openly demanding that George W. Bush and members of Congress
pay up for their help by loosening the strictures between church and
state.
Be careful.
You might get what you want.
Someday, those in power might not have your interests at heart, and
you will need what you destroyed.
---
Stop Elmer Fudd web site: http://www.ElmerFudd.US/
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| User: "The Last Liberal" |
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| Title: Re: Right to believe, or not, under seige |
22 Nov 2004 08:21:54 PM |
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On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 03:45:06 GMT, (Seldom Seen Smith)
wrote:
By the Delaware Coast Press, 11/17/04:
http://www.delmarvanow.com/deweybeach/stories/20041117/1606750.html
Right to believe, or not, under seige
By Joyce Mullins
The article's point is obvious; what is frightening is that
Fundamentalists (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc.) tend to not
see the obvious---- they believe they somehow have the "right" to
inflict theoir occult beliefs upon the government and therefore upon
unwilling non-willing-to-participate victims. The only way to remain
free to worship as we please is to keep occultism and government
seperated: that is obvious, but the blind cannot see the obvious.
--
"Terrorism" isn't the enemy: George W Bush is!
http://lastliberal.org
Voting Republican makes baby Jesus cry!
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