Originally posted by spgoode:
Originally posted by Viss1:
Originally posted by TourDeForce:
persecution of the faithful.


Just curious, who's being persecuted? If anything the US is more pro-religion now than it's been in the past 3 decades.


But they won't let us put our manger scene at the courthouse. Not enough people will see it in my front yard.
Damn constitution!



Easy now, kids.

I don't think things are more pro-religion. Since the election of President Bush, they seem to be a little less anti-religion, I'll give you that...

There are many places in Europe that already forbid the display of any religious icons in public. In other words, you can't wear a Cross or Star of David around your neck within public view. At the same time, many of these same places turn a blind eye if you march around with a pagan symbol on your T-shirt. That is the direction I see things going here in the US if we're not careful. Not a big deal you say?

OUR country was founded by people whose predecessors were trying to escape religious persecution. The FIRST amendment to the constitution guarantees free speech. The constitution also guarantees freedom of religious practices so long as they do not infringe on the rights of others. Yet if a child mumbles a prayer in school, he/she is suspended or expelled. Where is the outcry on this abuse of first amendment rights???

BS you say? I was the one suspended & threatened with expulsion when I continued to speak a prayer each morning at school back in 1975. I was 12 years old, but I knew enough to ask about my first amendment right. After almost 2 weeks, the school board backed down on legal advice & I went back to classes.

Our own founding fathers put in place several traditions & observances of religious practice. Why do you suppose they did that?? Were they religious radicals?? I suspect they had the wisdom to understand that the basic principals of religious teachings were a good guide for fair & just governance, nothing more. Nobody was endorsing a particular faith, or imposing it on anybody else, and they were all just fine with it. There is a prayer spoken at the outset of every congressional session - if you choose not to participate - fine, but I'll be damned if anybody is gonna PREVENT me from exercising my faith to the extent allowed under constitutional protection.

Must be that jumbly-wumbly thing happening again.