Angeltress #fundie

Angeltress #fundie answers.yahoo.com

Atheists are in a battle to make their religion the state religion, and they are doing it under the guise of "separation of church and state", which is a false phrase to begin with. It is NOT in the Constitution, nor was it ever INTENDED to be there.
Congress may NOT make any law that prohibits OUR freedom to practice OUR religion. that is what the First Amendment says. There doesn't seem to be any rider on that that defines WHERE we may practice it...so go ahead and pray, in public, in school, wherever you may be.
Your rights under the Constitution include Freedom of Speech...yes, Christians ARE free to speak openly about their religion...and they include the RIGHT to practice your religion WITHOUT interference from the government. (Did you get that? According to the First Amendment, the government has NO RIGHT to make ANY law prohibiting the FREE PRACTICE of your religion...so what the heck are they doing trying to pass such laws?? And why the heck are we sitting still and LETTING them get away with it? When did the church lose her courage?)
Those are your RIGHTS! What are your RESPONSIBILITIES before God?
After all, are we to obey God, or man??

35 comments

old comment by John

What is this moron babbling about? In the US, there are no laws against praying in public or in school or anywhere else, nor is there any law prohibiting the free practice of one's religion. That would violate the Constitution.

The only proviso is the common-sense one that one's religion can't violate civil laws. For example, you can't have a religion that requires human sacrifice or sex with children or burning down other peoples' churches. You can't build a church or put up a religious display on someone else's property or in violation of local zoning ordinances. School kids must obey school rules regarding attendance and classroom behavior.

Sheesh ... even Jesus paid taxes and obeyed local laws.

old comment by Euclid

Oh I see. Your incoherent shouting has convinced me.

Or maybe not, seeing as you appear incapable of distinguishing between no impediment to the free expression of your (or anyone's) religion and -- follow carefully here -- state endorsement of a particular religion. It's really not that hard, I promise: you have every right to believe in the Giant Space Teapot; you do not have the right to spend tax money on a Space Teapot mural on the side of the state capitol. Geddit?

And while we're at it, see if you can wrap your minute brain around this tricky one: a lack of any religious statement is not the same as a statement endorsing lack of religion.

It is NOT in the Constitution
Strawman. Nobody claims it is. But the concept is there, in the form of the establishment clause.
nor was it ever INTENDED to be there
False, see above. (Or semantic wankery, see above.)
OUR freedom to practice OUR religion
Um, the whole point is that no religion, including YOURS, is any more special than the others (including none = our atheist friends). So quit yer whining, already. You're not oppressed. Really.
so what the heck are they doing trying to pass such laws
They're not. Find me one law, enacted or proposed, that actually stops you practicing your religion (without violating someone else's rights in the process). Go ahead. I'll wait.
When did the church lose her courage
When it achieved total religious hegemony in the US, perhaps?
After all, are we to obey God, or man?
Um. Wait. So now you're arguing that what you want done *isn't* constitutional after all? But that's ok because you're obeying God? Repeat after me some guy called Jesus: render unto Caesar...

old comment by Old Viking

Such a simple, simple concept. So very difficult for them to understand.

No one has ever prevented you from practicing your religion, and I hope no one ever will. Further, it's OK to pray in school or in public. What's not OK in shool is to conduct an organized prayer that represents a single religion. 'cause if you peek in any classroom, lo and behold, you'll find kids representing a great many religions. Thus a compulsory Christian prayer constitutes endorsement of a particular religion. That violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment.

If you pray in public you may get some strange glances, but nothing more, I'm sure.

You can practice your religion at home, you can practice your religion in church, you can practice your religion in Bible school, you can practice your religion on church-owned property, you can practice your religion in a public venue if you rented it for the purpose.

What you can not do, assface, is plaster your symbols around public property, or compel others to participate in your prayers. That interferes with others' religious sensibilitie, and in this country, believe it or not, Christians ain't nuthin' special.What you can do, the others can do. What you can't do, the others can't do.

The basic idea is, practice your religion till your ass drops off. No one cares. Just don't try to make others practice it, too. K?

Incidentally, if no one has pointed this out yet, you are a moron.

old comment by John

they are doing it under the guise of "separation of church and state", which is a false phrase to begin with. It is NOT in the Constitution, nor was it ever INTENDED to be there.

"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 & State."

Thomas Jefferson, who was heavily involved in writing the Constitution, clearly believed "no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" and "separation between Church & State" were equivalent concepts.

old comment by Adrian

We really need an "Establishment Clause, fool!" Mr. T macro to go with the "Treaty of Tripoly, bitch!" one.

Funny how the fundies always forget that bit about praying in the closet and not making a spectacle of their faith. But then it was Jesus who said it, not Paul, so I suppose I shouldn't be that surprized...

On a side note, I just noticed that we rarely if ever see US muslims complaining about prayer in school. You'd think that they'd have more reasons to complain that Xians who can just pray in the secret of their heart, considering the practical requirements of Salah (praying toward Mecca at a fixed time, with a set series of positions, and performing ritual ablutions before prayer).