Posted on 07/28/2013 10:29:56 AM PDT by Ira_Louvin
The First Amendment states the following:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech...
To all Americans prior to the 1940's and to most Americans today the intent is clear: the Federal government shall not give preferential treatment to any one faith and the Federal government shall not stop people from practicing their religious beliefs.
Liberals confuse the banning of preferential treatment for a particular faith tradition with the banning expression by any faith tradition. The intent of the First Amendment was to allow all faiths to be freely practiced not to restrict the practices of any particular faith.
But liberalism's perspective is completely different when addressing the atheist faith tradition. That's why liberals are comfortable silencing speech that is offensive to atheists, such as a military chaplain preaching the Gospel, while simultaneously supporting government funding of atheists attacks on Christianity, such as the infamous Piss Christ piece of "art".
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
What if a local government wants Sharia law...say, in Dearborn, Michigan?
Biased source. No contrasting sources.
Half the world has been ravaged with the purveyors of so-called “positive atheism”, to use the neologism.
To each his own. And yeah, yeah I get it. Most of the people on this site think Me, my wife, and kids are on the hell express. It’s the ones who seemed pleased by this that scare me the most.
Thank you for your comment, strider44. That portion got a chuckle out of me: as often as the word "atheist" shows up in theads at conservative sites, all [fill in the blank] often breaks loose. I usually sidle away, close the door very quietly after myself, and don't return.
Ironically, I didn't mature as an atheist until I'd spent quite some while with my old pal Jim and taught myself to tolerate his religious notions. He never tired of reminding me, "There is a god, and you're not him," which incensed me the first few times he said it. As I started to commence to begin to force myself to become tolerant—only outwardly at first, of course—it gradually occurred to me my atheism was neither more nor less a faith than his Christianity. He died in 1995. I've often wished he could see he helped goad and nudge and push and tug me toward a bit more wisdom and essentially unchanged belief.
According to Frisky the wonder tigress, the Great Cat is going to punish all us heathen two-leggers for being mean mean mean to kitties by practically never giving them enough canned treats and practically never brushing them long enough and hogging the big soft middle part of the bed at night and not licking ourselves clean like sensible creatures.
The article isn't about the political implications of atheism, any more than an article on the technical definition of theism such as this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theism
would be about the political implications of a theocracy.
I ask again: Is it not a flaw of the article in the OP that it lumps all atheists in the "positive" camp? The arguments it uses to counter the atheist viewpoint in no way apply to someone who makes no assertion that a God or gods do not exist, but simply has no belief in it/her/him/them.
Negative atheism, in other words.
I bet that "artist" would never have a muhamed art in a jar of piss.
"Beliefs belong in church" ...
That's a memorable phrase from an independent engineering review of a military contract proposal. Some one company engineer had used the phrase "We believe ..."
Needless to say, the phrase was tossed out.
Weinman also designed the Walking Liberty Half Dollar which is also the template for the current Silver Eagle.
Define “extraordinary”. I’m not sure what you’re talking about.
The problem is that low-information voters, evidently including many patriots, do not understand that the states have never delegated to Congress, via the Constitution, the specific power to tax and spend in the name of art, things like the artwork on currency being a reasonable exception imo, for what some people call art.
In fact, noting that the following has been posted in related threads, Justice John Marshall had officially clarified that Congress is prohibited from laying taxes in the name of state power issues, basically any issue which Congress cannot justify under its constitutional Article I, Section 8-limited powers.
"Congress is not empowered to tax for those purposes which are within the exclusive province of the States." --Justice John Marshall, Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824.
In other words, the states have never granted Congress, via the Constitution, the specific power tax and spend in the name of things like PBS for example. But in the same breath, I used to watch PBS years ago and would support a constitutional amendment granting power to tax and spend for something like PBS, as long as such a broadcaster was prohibited from funding "art" projects which attack religion. And that may be a problem since Congress cannot make laws which address religious issues.
It's happening, more rapidly than you think:
As an honest atheist you certainly recognize the mathematical impossibility of evolutionary theory as it is currently presented.
Extraordinary belief to say the least.
Life from non life, prove it.
The design of life, the blind watchmaker with no concept of time, and a random expression and conservation of mostly deleterious mutations which survive long enough to randomly unite with a multitude of other random mutations that express a new body plan that survive.
Extraordinary.
The honest atheist is left with “Ancient Aliens” to account for life on earth.
This of course invites additional extraordinary claims.
I would consider myself an honest atheist and yet I have no need for “ancient aliens”. I quite happy to admit that science doesn’t have a satisfying answer yet as to how life began. Not having an answer for everything is neither shameful nor a reason to invoke the supernatural.
Well stated.
“You and America today do now exist in a secular humanist Sharia shackled by a myriad of laws based on secular humanist religious beliefs. You don’t see it because secular humanism pretends to not be a religion and because it is YOUR religious faith. Millions of American citizens are murdered each year before the god of sex without consequences......”
This is very good. I would like to see this in an expanded essay by you. It never occurred to me before that we are, in fact, trapped in a “secular humanist sharia.” That quite accurately summarizes the situation. Secular humanism, as you point out, has become the state church.
yarddog wrote:
“It always seemed to me that the point was there will be no “Church of the United States”. Such as the “Church of England” or the “Church of Scotland”, plus everyone could worship as they pleased.”
You would think so, considering that the King of England is/was also the head of the Anglican Church.
I do believe this: if you were/are a member of our military force, the religion that you hold dear, should be respected, even to your ‘emblem’ upon your marker. These folks defend us, and what we, each of us, consider ‘the religion we hold dear’. They have earned the right to have whatever they choose on their marker, don’t you think?
No atheist can stand there and tell me, ‘no you can’t’.
The problem with atheism is the same problem with Islam. Both oppose the practice of any other religion. Both are in fundamental conflict with our constitution. They do not support the freedom to practice religion, only the requirement that government permit only the practice of their own.
Separation of church and state dogmatists insist that government is society. It is not.
Under our constitution society creates government, not the reverse. The freedom of religious practice as a public and private act must not be restricted. Opposition to this doctrine is tyrannical and must not be tolerated. That is, opposition to religious freedom, whether public or private, is the cornerstone of intolerance.
I pretty much agree with you.
BTW, I noticed on the local news that a medal of honor winner died today in Ft. Walton Beach. Can’t remember his name.
America’s Most Biblically-Hostile U. S. President
When one observes President Obama’s unwillingness to accommodate America’s four-century long religious conscience protection through his attempts to require Catholics to go against their own doctrines and beliefs, one is tempted to say that he is anti-Catholic. But that characterization would not be correct. Although he has recently singled out Catholics, he has equally targeted traditional Protestant beliefs over the past four years. So since he has attacked Catholics and Protestants, one is tempted to say that he is anti-Christian. But that, too, would be inaccurate. He has been equally disrespectful in his appalling treatment of religious Jews in general and Israel in particular. So perhaps the most accurate description of his antipathy toward Catholics, Protestants, religious Jews, and the Jewish nation would be to characterize him as anti-Biblical. And then when his hostility toward Biblical people of faith is contrasted with his preferential treatment of Muslims and Muslim nations, it further strengthens the accuracy of the anti-Biblical descriptor. In fact, there have been numerous clearly documented times when his pro-Islam positions have been the cause of his anti-Biblical actions.
Listed below in chronological order are (1) numerous records of his attacks on Biblical persons or organizations; (2) examples of the hostility toward Biblical faith that have become evident in the past three years in the Obama-led military; (3) a listing of his open attacks on Biblical values; and finally (4) a listing of numerous incidents of his preferential deference for Islam’s activities and positions, including letting his Islamic advisors guide and influence his hostility toward people of Biblical faith.
1. Acts of hostility toward people of Biblical faith:
April 2008 – Obama speaks disrespectfully of Christians, saying they “cling to guns or religion” and have an “antipathy to people who aren’t like them.” 1
February 2009 – Obama announces plans to revoke conscience protection for health workers who refuse to participate in medical activities that go against their beliefs, and fully implements the plan in February 2011. 2
April 2009 – When speaking at Georgetown University, Obama orders that a monogram symbolizing Jesus’ name be covered when he is making his speech. 3
May 2009 – Obama declines to host services for the National Prayer Day (a day established by federal law) at the White House. 4
April 2009 – In a deliberate act of disrespect, Obama nominated three pro-abortion ambassadors to the Vatican; of course, the pro-life Vatican rejected all three. 5
October 19, 2010 – Obama begins deliberately omitting the phrase about “the Creator” when quoting the Declaration of Independence – an omission he has made on no less than seven occasions. 6
November 2010 – Obama misquotes the National Motto, saying it is “E pluribus unum” rather than “In God We Trust” as established by federal law. 7
January 2011 – After a federal law was passed to transfer a WWI Memorial in the Mojave Desert to private ownership, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that the cross in the memorial could continue to stand, but the Obama administration refused to allow the land to be transferred as required by law, and refused to allow the cross to be re-erected as ordered by the Court. 8
February 2011 – Although he filled posts in the State Department, for more than two years Obama did not fill the post of religious freedom ambassador, an official that works against religious persecution across the world; he filled it only after heavy pressure from the public and from Congress. 9
April 2011 – For the first time in American history, Obama urges passage of a non-discrimination law that does not contain hiring protections for religious groups, forcing religious organizations to hire according to federal mandates without regard to the dictates of their own faith, thus eliminating conscience protection in hiring. 10
August 2011 – The Obama administration releases its new health care rules that override religious conscience protections for medical workers in the areas of abortion and contraception. 11
November 2011 – President Obama opposes inclusion of President Franklin Roosevelt’s famous D-Day Prayer in the WWII Memorial. 12
November 2011 – Unlike previous presidents, Obama studiously avoids any religious references in his Thanksgiving speech. 13
December 2011 – The Obama administration denigrates other countries’ religious beliefs as an obstacle to radical homosexual rights. 14
January 2012 – The Obama administration argues that the First Amendment provides no protection for churches and synagogues in hiring their pastors and rabbis. 15
February 2012 – The Obama administration forgives student loans in exchange for public service, but announces it will no longer forgive student loans if the public service is related to religion. 16
January 2013 – Pastor Louie Giglio is pressured to remove himself from praying at the inauguration after it is discovered he once preached a sermon supporting the Biblical definition of marriage. 17
February 2013 – The Obama Administration announces that the rights of religious conscience for individuals will not be protected under the Affordable Care Act. 18
June 2013 – The Obama Department of Justice defunds a Young Marines chapter in Louisiana because their oath mentioned God, and another youth program because it permits a voluntary student-led prayer. 19
2. Acts of hostility from the Obama-led military toward people of Biblical faith:
January 2010 – Because of “concerns” raised by the Department of Defense, tiny Bible verse references that had appeared for decades on scopes and gunsights were removed. 20
June 2011 – The Department of Veterans Affairs forbids references to God and Jesus during burial ceremonies at Houston National Cemetery.21
August 2011 – The Air Force stops teaching the Just War theory to officers in California because the course is taught by chaplains and is based on a philosophy introduced by St. Augustine in the third century AD – a theory long taught by civilized nations across the world (except now, America). 22
September 2011 – Air Force Chief of Staff prohibits commanders from notifying airmen of programs and services available to them from chaplains. 23
September 2011 – The Army issues guidelines for Walter Reed Medical Center stipulating that “No religious items (i.e. Bibles, reading materials and/or facts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit.” 24
November 2011 – The Air Force Academy rescinds support for Operation Christmas Child, a program to send holiday gifts to impoverished children across the world, because the program is run by a Christian charity. 25
November 2011 – Even while restricting and disapprobating Christian religious expressions, the Air Force Academy pays $80,000 to add a Stonehenge-like worship center for pagans, druids, witches and Wiccans at the Air Force Academy. 26
February 2012 – The U. S. Military Academy at West Point disinvites three star Army general and decorated war hero Lieutenant General William G. (“Jerry”) Boykin (retired) from speaking at an event because he is an outspoken Christian. 27
February 2012 – The Air Force removes “God” from the patch of Rapid Capabilities Office (the word on the patch was in Latin: Dei). 28
February 2012 – The Army ordered Catholic chaplains not to read a letter to parishioners that their archbishop asked them to read. 29
April 2012 – A checklist for Air Force Inns will no longer include ensuring that a Bible is available in rooms for those who want to use them. 30
May 2012 – The Obama administration opposed legislation to protect the rights of conscience for military chaplains who do not wish to perform same-sex marriages in violation of their strongly-held religious beliefs. 31
June 2012 – Bibles for the American military have been printed in every conflict since the American Revolution, but the Obama Administration revokes the long-standing U. S. policy of allowing military service emblems to be placed on those military Bibles. 32
January 2013 – President Obama announced his opposition to a provision in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act protecting the rights of conscience for military chaplains. 33
April 2013 – Officials briefing U.S. Army soldiers placed “Evangelical Christianity” and “Catholicism” in a list that also included Al-Qaeda, Muslim Brotherhood, and Hamas as examples of “religious extremism.” 34
April 2013 – The U.S. Army directs troops to scratch off and paint over tiny Scripture verse references that for decades had been forged into weapon scopes. 35
April 2013 - The Air Force creates a “religious tolerance” policy but consults only a militant atheist group to do so — a group whose leader has described military personnel who are religious as ‘spiritual rapists’ and ‘human monsters’ 36 and who also says that soldiers who proselytize are guilty of treason and sedition and should be punished to hold back a “tidal wave of fundamentalists.” 37
May 2013 - The Pentagon announces that “Air Force members are free to express their personal religious beliefs as long as it does not make others uncomfortable. “Proselytizing (inducing someone to convert to one’s faith) goes over that line,” 38 affirming if a sharing of faith makes someone feel uncomfortable that it could be a court-marital offense 39 — the military equivalent of a civil felony.
May 2013 - An Air Force officer was actually made to remove a personal Bible from his own desk because it “might” appear that he was condoning the particular religion to which he belonged. 40
June 2013 - The U. S. Air Force, in consultation with the Pentagon, removed an inspirational painting that for years has been hanging at Mountain Home Air Force Base because its title was “Blessed Are The Peacemakers” — a phrase from Matthew 5:9 in the Bible. 41
June 2013 – The Obama administration “strongly objects” to a Defense Authorization amendment to protect the constitutionally-guaranteed religious rights of soldiers and chaplains, claiming that it would have an “adverse effect on good order, discipline, morale, and mission accomplishment.” 42
3. Acts of hostility toward Biblical values:
January 2009 – Obama lifts restrictions on U.S. government funding for groups that provide abortion services or counseling abroad, forcing taxpayers to fund pro-abortion groups that either promote or perform abortions in other nations. 43
January 2009 – President Obama’s nominee for deputy secretary of state asserts that American taxpayers are required to pay for abortions and that limits on abortion funding are unconstitutional. 44
March 2009 – The Obama administration shut out pro-life groups from attending a White House-sponsored health care summit. 45
March 2009 – Obama orders taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research. 46
March 2009 – Obama gave $50 million for the UNFPA, the UN population agency that promotes abortion and works closely with Chinese population control officials who use forced abortions and involuntary sterilizations. 47
May 2009 – The White House budget eliminates all funding for abstinence-only education and replaces it with “comprehensive” sexual education, repeatedly proven to increase teen pregnancies and abortions.48 He continues the deletion in subsequent budgets. 49
May 2009 – Obama officials assemble a terrorism dictionary calling pro-life advocates violent and charging that they use racism in their “criminal” activities. 50
July 2009 – The Obama administration illegally extends federal benefits to same-sex partners of Foreign Service and Executive Branch employees, in direction violation of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.51
September 16, 2009 – The Obama administration appoints as EEOC Commissioner Chai Feldblum, who asserts that society should “not tolerate” any “private beliefs,” including religious beliefs, if they may negatively affect homosexual “equality.” 52
July 2010 – The Obama administration uses federal funds in violation of federal law to get Kenya to change its constitution to include abortion. 53
August 2010 – The Obama administration Cuts funding for 176 abstinence education programs. 54
September 2010 – The Obama administration tells researchers to ignore a judge’s decision striking down federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. 55
February 2011 – Obama directs the Justice Department to stop defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act. 56
March 2011 – The Obama administration refuses to investigate videos showing Planned Parenthood helping alleged sex traffickers get abortions for victimized underage girls. 57
July 2011 – Obama allows homosexuals to serve openly in the military, reversing a policy originally instituted by George Washington in March 1778. 58
September 2011 – The Pentagon directs that military chaplains may perform same-sex marriages at military facilities in violation of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. 59
October 2011 – The Obama administration eliminates federal grants to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for their extensive programs that aid victims of human trafficking because the Catholic Church is anti-abortion. 60
July 2012 - The Pentagon, for the first time, allows service members to wear their uniforms while marching in a parade - specifically, a gay pride parade in San Diego. 61
December 2012 – Despite having campaigned to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, President Obama once again suspends the provisions of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 which requires the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the American Embassy there. 62
April 2013 – The United States Agency for Internal Development (USAID), an official foreign policy agency of the U.S. government, begins a program to train homosexual activists in various countries around the world to overturn traditional marriage and anti-sodomy laws, targeting first those countries with strong Catholic influences, including Ecuador, Honduras, and Guatemala. 63
June 2013 – The Obama Administration finalizes requirements that under the Obamacare insurance program, employers must make available abortion-causing drugs, regardless of the religious conscience objections of many employers and even despite the directive of several federal courts to protect the religious conscience of employers. 64
4. Acts of preferentialism for Islam:
May 2009 – While Obama does not host any National Day of Prayer event at the White House, he does host White House Iftar dinners in honor of Ramadan. 65
April 2010 – Christian leader Franklin Graham is disinvited from the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer Event because of complaints from the Muslim community. 66
April 2010 – The Obama administration requires rewriting of government documents and a change in administration vocabulary to remove terms that are deemed offensive to Muslims, including jihad, jihadists, terrorists, radical Islamic, etc. 67
August 2010 – Obama speaks with great praise of Islam and condescendingly of Christianity. 68
August 2010 – Obama went to great lengths to speak out on multiple occasions on behalf of building an Islamic mosque at Ground Zero, while at the same time he was silent about a Christian church being denied permission to rebuild at that location. 69
2010 – While every White House traditionally issues hundreds of official proclamations and statements on numerous occasions, this White House avoids traditional Biblical holidays and events but regularly recognizes major Muslim holidays, as evidenced by its 2010 statements on Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Hajj, and Eid-ul-Adha. 70
October 2011 – Obama’s Muslim advisers block Middle Eastern Christians’ access to the White House. 71
February 2012 – The Obama administration makes effulgent apologies for Korans being burned by the U. S. military, 72 but when Bibles were burned by the military, numerous reasons were offered why it was the right thing to do. 73
Many of these actions are literally unprecedented – this is the first time they have happened in four centuries of American history. The hostility of President Obama toward Biblical faith and values is without equal from any previous American president.
You summed it up perfectly.
What does that video have to do with the American judicial system adopting sharia law? It’s about some people in Texas who are Muslim.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.