The Right Not To Be Religious.***********************
If one wishes not to subscribe to a religion, in this country, that is perfectly OK. Nowhere is it written that you must belong to one faith, or the other, to be a good citizen, or even just to be a citizen. Nowhere.
At the same time, nowhere is it written that I can’t practice mine.
A not so careful reading of the 1st Amendment will demonstrate, to anyone with an open mind, the framers had nothing to say about the mingling of religion and state. What they did not want to see was the state impose a specific religion, or a specific denomination, on it’s people.
At the time the Constitution was written, some of the northeastern states/colonies had already established state churches. The churches in those states/colonies were a part of that state’s government. If you were a citizen of that state you were a member of that church. One, or two, European countries have the same state/church situation, even today, as the early colonies had in the 1700’s. When you are born, in those countries, you are born into the church. You remain a member until death, or, you go to court and ask a judge to allow you to leave that “state church”.
There is no such thing as separation of church and state in this country. I don’t believe the Constitution even suggests it. Only a myopic, left leaning, court could find that in the Constitution. They think they have. As soon as the conservative court becomes a fact, and not a figment of our imagination, that will be over-turned.
Having said all this, I still favor an amended 1st Amendment to make the practice of Islam illegal in the US. There are obvious reasons for outlawing that religion in this country. The fact that state and religion, or "government and religion", are one and the same, a sort of theocracy, places Islam in direct conflict with democracy and eventually there will be a head-on conflagration in the US over this very issue. If this issue is not dealt with early, and it may already be too late, we are going to reap a bitter and bloody harvest in the not too distant future.
Yes, this country was founded on the tenants of the Judeo-Christian faith. One cannot read any of our state documents, or any of our founding documents, or look at our national buildings, (even the Supreme Court Building) and not be aware of that fact. The individuals and organizations attempting to strip America of her Judeo-Christian Heritage will lose. It will be messy, and tempers are going to flare, but in the end they will lose.
On our money the slogan says: “In God We Trust”. Sometimes we have to be reminded of that. On the top of the Washington Monument are engraved, in Latin, the words “Praise Be To God!” My sentiments exactly!
Longstreet
If one wishes not to subscribe to a religion, in this country, that is perfectly OK. Nowhere is it written that you must belong to one faith, or the other, to be a good citizen, or even just to be a citizen. Nowhere.
At the same time, nowhere is it written that I can’t practice mine.
A not so careful reading of the 1st Amendment will demonstrate, to anyone with an open mind, the framers had nothing to say about the mingling of religion and state. What they did not want to see was the state impose a specific religion, or a specific denomination, on it’s people.
At the time the Constitution was written, some of the northeastern states/colonies had already established state churches. The churches in those states/colonies were a part of that state’s government. If you were a citizen of that state you were a member of that church. One, or two, European countries have the same state/church situation, even today, as the early colonies had in the 1700’s. When you are born, in those countries, you are born into the church. You remain a member until death, or, you go to court and ask a judge to allow you to leave that “state church”.
There is no such thing as separation of church and state in this country. I don’t believe the Constitution even suggests it. Only a myopic, left leaning, court could find that in the Constitution. They think they have. As soon as the conservative court becomes a fact, and not a figment of our imagination, that will be over-turned.
Having said all this, I still favor an amended 1st Amendment to make the practice of Islam illegal in the US. There are obvious reasons for outlawing that religion in this country. The fact that state and religion, or "government and religion", are one and the same, a sort of theocracy, places Islam in direct conflict with democracy and eventually there will be a head-on conflagration in the US over this very issue. If this issue is not dealt with early, and it may already be too late, we are going to reap a bitter and bloody harvest in the not too distant future.
Yes, this country was founded on the tenants of the Judeo-Christian faith. One cannot read any of our state documents, or any of our founding documents, or look at our national buildings, (even the Supreme Court Building) and not be aware of that fact. The individuals and organizations attempting to strip America of her Judeo-Christian Heritage will lose. It will be messy, and tempers are going to flare, but in the end they will lose.
On our money the slogan says: “In God We Trust”. Sometimes we have to be reminded of that. On the top of the Washington Monument are engraved, in Latin, the words “Praise Be To God!” My sentiments exactly!
Longstreet
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"To Messrs. Nehemiah Dodge and Others, a Committee of the Danbury Baptist Association, in the State of Connecticut
January 1, 1802
GENTLEMAN,
The affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist Association, give me the highest satisfaction. My duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, and in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing.
Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between church and State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.
I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common Father and Creator of man, and tender you for yourselves and your religious association, assurances of my high respect and esteem."
Well that is what Thomas Jefferson wrote about it and him and amdison are known as "The architects" of the "sepeartion clause". Guess I was right all along the founding fathers were liberal! (I already knew that)
Nice job, and thank you for raising this important point. Many of our citizens are lacking in perspective as to what our Founders meant in the First Amendment.
I am trying to do my own educating on the Internet. First, I have a blog to release a daily dose of historic information about the roots of our country and our Constitution's First Amendment. I am also building a forum with most of the same information because that will make the information more easily available (the forum is arranged by categories and sub-categories).
Both are works in progress, but I have a lot of material to add to them. The blog is here:
http://churchvstate.blogspot.com/
And the forum is here:
http://www.dwerden.com/talk/forum/index.cfm?forumid=5
I have said many times that I could support "Seperation of Church and State"... if... it was in the constitution. As written, today, it simply is not there.
Longstreet
Excellent article. I believe that in the long run an amendment to the constitution clarifying the 1st Amendment towards that separation of church and state will be to the welfare of Christianity and other bonifide religions. Otherwise Islam will eventually make Sharia the law of the land!
Excellent article. I believe that in the long run an amendment to the constitution clarifying the 1st Amendment towards that separation of church and state will be to the welfare of Christianity and other bonifide religions. Otherwise Islam will eventually make Sharia the law of the land!
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As long as it protects government from the influence of nutty Evangelicals, Jews, Muslims, Pagans and Witches, and allows the progress of freedom and personal liberties I'm all for it.
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