Posted on 01/23/2005 8:58:36 AM PST by Lindykim
America was founded as a place free of religious persecution for all.
What you want would elevate one religion (Christianity) above the rest. Thus, those who do not follow Christianity would be relegated to a "secondary" status in the eyes of the government, and in the eyes of Christians. However, they would still have to pay taxes to support this religion.
Sorry, I can find NO justification for that in the Constitution. No American should ever be another's Dhimmi. I would resist that with all my might, and with other Constitutional rights.
And I wonder how many 'Wiccan' chaplins are there in the U.S. Armed Forces?
http://studentorgs.utexas.edu/psa/articles/usarmy.html
Actually, it is the Constitution which enumerates those religions rights to be free of censure, persecution, and abrigement by the government.
What OTHER rights do you feel we don't need?
That was also part of what I had learned.
I have always loved that period in European history (from 1000 to 1500+) and have loved reading about it. Obviously, recent experience with Islam is requiring me to rethink all I thought I knew...glad I didn't major in that stuff.
"We should be very hesitant to outlaw most religions."
I'll say! Our Constitution names no religion that one has the freedom to worship. None. Anyone may worship any religion they choose. Not only must we be "hesitant," we must NEVER outlaw any religion.
We may outlow, and have outlawed, certain practises that religions may employ. For example, plural marriage was once part of the Mormon religion. It is not any longer, and is illegal. Yet we have not outlawed the LDS church.
But...we may not, under our Constitution, outlaw a religion. The moment we do that, we cease to be a nation with freedom of religion.
For starters, the "right" to maim a baby as part of a "religious" right.
poing
That's the problem with debating religion, period. Invective is pretty much the pinacle of the debate. Few minds are ever changed. The older and wiser I become, the more I realize that if conversion is possible it has to come from love, not debate.
Isn't that a commercial for candy?
Having a religious belief in magic, psychic power or mysticism is not religion.
You say that our founding fathers never mentioned Christianity, but they never mentioned cannibalism either.
Would you defend with the same zeal the "religious" beliefs of the ancient Aztecs as much as you defend the "religious" beliefs of ancient Europeans?
There are religions that require human sacrifice---the gods require human beating hearts for example---should that be allowed to satisfy the freedom of religion?
And just as "clear" is your overt hostility towards "Christianity."
Bump.
"And I wonder how many 'Wiccan' chaplins are there in the U.S. Armed Forces?"
I don't know that there are any, however the Chaplain's Service includes instructions on Wicca, and any chaplain may be called upon to serve any wiccan he may encounter.
There are, however, Muslim chaplains in the U. S. Military, thanks. It's a religion followed by a fair number of U.S. military personnel.
Such activity is ALREADY illegal. Murder can and is proscribed by law, however, if a religion does NOT engage in such things, why should it be illegal?
No, and for simple reasons. You can't outlaw the belief, only the practice. Try as you may, you can't through force of legislation force your way into a man's conscience. His beliefs are his, and his alone.
Ah, yes...when encountering disagreement, whine about "anti-Christianity". Easier I guess, than arguing reasonably FOR removing people's rights.
Disagreement is NOT hostility. I thought only the PC Left claimed this.
"There are religions that require human sacrifice---the gods require human beating hearts for example---should that be allowed to satisfy the freedom of religion?
"
As far as I know, there are no current religions which require such, but those acts would be illegal in this country, just as illegal as the act allegedly performed by these wiccans.
As I said, plural marriage is not allowed, either, even though that was part of Mormonism.
The United States may outlaw practices of any religion, if they conflict with our laws. The religion itself may not be outlawed. Only actions may be against the law.
It's very simple. You can't kill or harm another human via your religion. You can't steal. You can't do a lot of things that are illegal for all citizens to do. Pretty much everything else is OK.
A good example is the animal sacrifices done by followers of Santeria. Some localities have attempted to make such sacrifices illegal. They have lost in court.
If people only knew just HOW many, they'd be shocked.
Luckily, the founders thought differently. They disagreed so strongly with your views that they took the trouble into proscribing the very view you described above in the Constitution itself.
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