http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2006/03/22/67651
March 23, 2006
Recognizing the real threats to society
If same-sex marriage is so harmful to society, then why allow criminals to
marry?
By Ronald Noga
1n amendment such as a ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional
according to the First Amendment, ?Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.? The
Treaty of Tripoli 1791 clearly shows that the government of the United
States is a secular government. Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli reads,
?As the Government of the United States of America is not in any sense
founded on the Christian religion.? The Treaty of Tripoli was presented to
the Senate and signed by the president without contention by the Senate.
The Bible, or any other type of religion, has no standing in American law.
This does not mean the government cannot recognize God. Separation of
church and state is simply means the government cannot tell the American
people which church to attend, how to worship or even to worship God. The
First Amendment is our guarantee against religious rule in America, and an
amendment banning same-sex marriage is religious rule.
The government has taken up issue with religion in America to pass an
amendment that will weaken the First Amendment, destroy religious freedom
and increase hate and discrimination in America. Marriage never has been an
establishment of a government but of God and the church. Marriages, as
spoken of in the Bible, were always between families, not the government or
even a church. Marriage was later made an establishment of the church. In
866 Pope Nicholas I declared that there should be consent to marriage
between the couple. In the 12th century Pope Innocent III decreed that
weddings had to be in a church and that wedding rings be included in the
ceremony. In 1563 the Council of Trent decreed that marriage take place
before a priest and two witnesses.
Marriage is an establishment of religion, therefore the government cannot
make any rule concerning who can enter marriage. The government cannot rule
on gender, age or the number of wives in a marriage, nor can a state
require a marriage license and a fee. People simply do not have to ask the
government?s permission to marry.
I keep hearing the same argument that same-sex marriage would be harmful to
American society. How? If same-sex marriage is harmful to society and
should be banned, then why does the government allow murderers, rapists,
child molesters and other criminals to enter marriage? If same-sex marriage
is to be banned on the grounds that it will degrade American society, then
why are pornography, gambling and alcohol legal in America? If America is
going to rewrite the First Amendment and ban same-sex marriage on the
grounds that it is degrading to society and will harm the institution of
marriage and family, then by all means pornography, gambling, alcohol and
anything else that possibly would degrade family life as we know it needs
to be banned as well.
This is not meant to be funny, it?s the truth. A ban on same-sex marriage
is opening the door for religious rule in America: the reason many came to
this country and the purpose for the First Amendment was to escape
religious rule. There is no credible evidence that same-sex marriage will
have a negative effect on American society. If anything it will, in time,
cause there to be less hate and discrimination in America. What happened to
?love thy neighbor? in America?
Ronald Noga is a resident of Sandstone.
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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 · Hampton Roads [Virginia] SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
[Its not just Hampton Roads folks who are members, there are members from
all over the US and a couple from overseas as well]
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.. . . 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)
.. . .
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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.
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THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
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