[annalex]

I do it because I am worried that the separation between church and state is under threat. Religion is important in our lives, but it can become a danger to society when people claim that the unalterable will of God is the basis for their opinions and actions. Yes religion can be a comfort and a guide, but we cannot take rules from our holy books and apply them to the modern world without democratic debate and due regard for the law."

MACVSOG68, you have a disciple in Canada.

[MACVSOG68]

I do it because I am worried that the separation between church and state is under threat. Religion is important in our lives, but it can become a danger to society when people claim that the unalterable will of God is the basis for their opinions and actions. Yes religion can be a comfort and a guide, but we cannot take rules from our holy books and apply them to the modern world without democratic debate and due regard for the law."

MACVSOG68, you have a disciple in Canada.

Hmmm. Maybe he's on to something. No, actually he should drop such ridiculous ideas. The government's job should be to protect religious rights, not regulate them.

OTOH, I think the government can and should step in when any religious group advocates the infringment on the rights of others. I'm thinking of the madrasas openly preaching the murder of innocent people, and the occasional priest advocating the bombing of an abortion clinic. But the rest of this guy's rants are just garbage.

Edmund Burke, not particularly known for his religious leanings always believed that religion helped keep the population calm and was good and necessary for civilized societies.