Aztec276 #fundie

Aztec276 #fundie answers.yahoo.com

Doesn't the Texas Polygamy Cult show Separation of Church and State is a farce?
If atheists/secularists really believe in "Separation of Church and State" then everyone who is "religious" (i.e. the LDS polygamy cult) should be free from state prosecution. Logically, if you are separating the church from the state then you are also separating the state from the church.

Otherwise you are merely subjugating the church to the state...which is actually what "Separation of Church and State" is...its a one-way separation. Its a farce.

Nowhere in the Constitution does the phrase "Separation of Church and State" appear. The Constitution simply says Congress cannot establish religion.

In order to argue "Separation of Church and State," you must interpret both words "Congress" and "establish" metaphorically.

However, all the atheists/secularists I've seen are celebrating the potential prosecution of the LDS group. Why?

Because "Separation" is a farce, crafted and promulgated by people with no respect for truth?

Atheists, your hypocrisy is showing.

32 comments

old comment by Rat of Steel

"Logically, if you are separating the ~~church~~ State from the ~~state~~ Church then you are also separating the ~~state~~ Church from the ~~church~~ State.

Otherwise you are merely subjugating the ~~church~~ State to the ~~state~~ Church...which is actually what "Separation of Church and State" is...its a one-way separation. Its a farce.

~~Atheists~~ Christians, your hypocrisy is showing.

Fixed.

"Nowhere in the Constitution does the phrase "Separation of Church and State" appear."

Guess what, genius: God isn't mentioned, either. That wasn't an oversight, if you're wondering. The drafters of the Constitution voted, at least twice, to remove text referring to God from the document.

By the way, I can already see you itching to play the "Year of Our Lord" card. "Year of Our Lord" ("Anno Domini" in Latin, from which the AD abbreviation comes), is simply the basis for numbering years on our standard calendar. If you want to argue that the Founding Fathers were a bunch of Christ-pimps because they used the longhand form of "AD", then by your logic, you are a closet Pagan.

"Impossible!", you exclaim? Well, let's take a look closer than years, to months and weeks. The months from January to August were named for Roman gods, or for Roman emperors who were revered as gods. The days of the week were named for the Sun, the Moon, and Saturn (three of the ancient pagans' favorite celestial bodies) as well as Tiu, Woden, Thor, and Frigga, a quartet of deities from the Norse pantheon. You've been using Roman and Norse divinities in daily language, and never knew it! Would you like a sturdy washcloth to help get not just an egg, but that whole omelette off of your face?

"However, all the atheists/secularists I've seen are celebrating the potential prosecution of the LDS group. Why?"

Then you haven't seen me yet; I'm quite indifferent to it.

"Because 'Separation' is a ~~farce~~ noble ideal, ~~crafted and promulgated~~ vilified and slandered by people with no respect for truth?

Fixed.

old comment by John

In order to argue "Separation of Church and State," you must interpret both words "Congress" and "establish" metaphorically.

"Establishment" had a specific meaning under English law. Unlike the US, England had, and still has, an "established" religion. It doesn't mean, as many people think, "founding" or "creating" - it means "validating or giving official recognition to".

This has been interpreted as meaning that US laws must have a secular purpose and can't have the effect of either advancing or inhibiting religion.

The 14th Amendment prohibits states from creating laws that violate the US Constitution, so any Constitutional rule that applies to Congress applies to the legislatures of the states, as well - no metaphor needed.

old comment by Goosey

If atheists/secularists really believe in "Separation of Church and State" then everyone who is "religious" (i.e. the LDS polygamy cult) should be free from state prosecution.

No they shouldn't. Religion is not and should never be an excuse to break the law. It's people like you that would like it to be that are the reason I'm a vocal atheist, you malignant little shit.

Nowhere in the Constitution does the phrase "Separation of Church and State" appear. The Constitution simply says Congress cannot establish religion.

In order to argue "Separation of Church and State," you must interpret both words "Congress" and "establish" metaphorically.

Thomas Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists uses exactly this phrase in the context of explaining what the wording of the First Amendment means. It's not the way I interpret it: it's the way Jefferson interpreted it. You might be able to get away with claiming that what your God "really" meant is what you'd like him to have meant, but the same does not apply to the Founding Fathers because contextual documentation exists, you dumb fuck.