| Topic: |
Sociology > Education |
| User: |
"buckeye" |
| Date: |
23 Jan 2008 05:16:39 AM |
| Object: |
Clark: Spirituality and the state aren't separate |
Clark: Spirituality and the state aren't separate
http://new.savannahnow.com/node/433115
[excerpt]
Kevin Clark | Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 12:30 am
The intense, ongoing debate about the role of faith in politics and
government has been fascinating and sometimes amusing.
This issue recently took center stage in the 2008 presidential
campaign. I cannot understand how any informed citizen can state, and
honestly believe, that we have real, authentic separation of church
and state in our nation today.
It may be true that the separation of church and state was one of the
fundamental values upon which we were founded. But it has been purely
and solely an institutional separation.
The "state," as the institution empowered to create and implement
laws, is prohibited from establishing an official, institutional
"church" that teaches a specific religious doctrine.
It is not the function of the "state" to promulgate a doctrine; no
"church" speaks for the conscience of all the people.
However, if we can define "spirituality" as the sum total of our most
sacredly held beliefs, and "politics" as the process by which we
select our leaders who pass laws, then we clearly have been mixing
politics and spirituality all along.
We have crafted a Constitution and created a nation based on our most
sacred beliefs - on our spirituality. We declare this all over the
place - in the halls of government, in our Pledge of Allegiance and on
our money.
It is a good thing that our most sacred beliefs influence our
government. If the process did not include any place for our sacred
beliefs to be expressed, what good are our beliefs?
[end excerpt]
***************************************************************
You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation
of Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Historical Reality SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
***************************************************************
.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is
why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v.
Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
****************************************************************
USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote
"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"
That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.
It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.
*****************************************************************
THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
****************************************************************
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