Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
If eastforker is an atheist, which I do not know nor care about, his “religion” is equally valid as mormonism, catholicism, baptist, anabaptist, anglican, shia, sunni, ba’hai, shinto, the various types of judaism and buddism .... got bored writing them so add any others you feel like.
Bashing anyones religion is un-American. It is right there in that document you are so proud of and many posters and members here are sworn to defend.
“Prohibiting free exercise of” - ridicule is equally effective as threats and intimidation and far more damaging.
I don’t know eastforker from Adam. As far as I recall we have never talked, argued with each other, or agreed with each other on anything.
But he is right by the very words of your law.
You must be a proud holder of some liberal big-government campus degree with a few (or more) multi-cultural educators...who apparently taught you the error of...
...doctrinal equivalency...
...moral equivalency...
...truth equivalency...
Sorry, to break this to you: All doctrines, counterfeit doctrines, morals, legalistic excesses, & truths/falsehoods, are not created or derived "equal."
Otherwise...w/your corrupt interpretation of all this, the Hitler recognized Aryan "doctrine" of a "master race" would be just as defensible by you as any other...
Or the beliefs of a few 19th-century religionists (Mormon, some who claimed Christian, etc.) who embraced open racism would also be just as defensible by you.
Sorry. I won't make the same corrupt mistake of defending racism...or other doctrines (the Metropolitan community church teaches homosexuality & "same-sex" marriage as "doctrine")...just because of your non-sensical extension of a right to hold some belief somehow gives it 100% teflon status from any and all critiques!
Besides, you don't even practice this evenly on threads like this...
Based upon eyewitness testimony -- the same kind of testimony that's enough to send somebody to the gallows/electric chair -- Christians believe that the resurrection of Jesus was a "fact." Then Eastforker comes along this thread and inadvertently bashes the historical resurrection as "non-factual"...
He said, post #286: Since faith requires a belief based on someones words without evidence to back it up, it doesn ‘t make it a fact. since there is no factual information it can not be discussed logicaly, because logicaly, there are no facts.
Who says Christianity offers "no evidence" of the resurrection of Christ? (Not Christians). Hence, whereas Christians say such evidence exists...that these leads to the same as "facts" established in say, a trial...Eastforker has come on this thread to absolutely proclaim no such "evidence" or "facts" could possibly exist for the resurrection of Christ.
That is an attack upon Christianity; it ridicules the resurrection; and it bashes our belief in the resurrection as "news"...
Yet...what? No defense from you or Laotzu or others???
Why not? Is it because it's "OK" to target Christ and Christianity?
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in general Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name and by the authority of the good people of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent States, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliance, establish commerce, and do all other acts and things which independent States may of right do.
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.
Understanding our Countries laws, rights, documents, must escape you.
Wait a minute.....you wrote: But he is right by the very words of your law.
Are you NOT an American citizen?
Sigh. You might want to actually READ the document:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.