Posted on 08/01/2003 10:50:41 AM PDT by WaterDragon
The Ten Commandment exterminators are out in full force. All around America, public displays of the Ten Commandments are the object of lawsuits, ACLU threats, city council battles, and civil disobedience. As Slate magazine writes, “It’s starting to be the Summer of Decalogues....(snip
.....the people who are offended by the Ten Commandments are the ones who are eager to make it easier to violate them. They may not be murderers, rapists, and robbers, but they probably want greater leeway in the sentencing of thugs. They probably don’t cheat on taxes, but they didn’t mind when a president lied in court. They don’t want you to have a gun, but they don’t care about criminals with guns. They’re the same folks who want to trash the fifth and seventh commandments about the family by declaring a right to sodomy and doing away with traditional marriage.
The Left doesn’t want us to worship God and follow His commandments, but they would like us to worship the gods of ultra-tolerance on the graven altar of moral relativism......(snip)
Click HERE For Complete Article!
(Excerpt) Read more at oregonmag.com ...
Come to think of it, I am almost surprised these anti-Christian Nazis have not attacked the practice of putting Bibles in hotel room.
Therin lies the contention with the Ten Commandments. Imagine if someday, when I'm driving my hydrogen powered car around a liberated, democratic Iraq, my kids all go to a publicly funded school that has quotes from the Koran (Qu'ran? sp?) above the doors, above the chalkboards, above the HDTV learning module, &c. Public money from people who believe in the 1st amendment of the US/Iraqi Constitution are paying for those schools. By putting the statements of Islamic beliefs upon public buildings, people who are not Muslims are disenfranchised -- quite the opposite of the ideas espoused in the Declaration of Independance.
I have a hard time listening to the arguments against the "Ten Commandments Exterminators". These people's line of thought is more in touch with the philosophy behind the Constitution and most arguments against them sound too much like religious zealotry instead of American Conservatism. see also: Russell Scott, above
I'm a non-Christian who graduated from a Catholic high-school. I didn't mind the religious docterine, but that's because I agreed to it by signing up for a private school. Paying my taxes should not automatically sign my kids up to be indocterinated with one religion over another, no matter how much I prefer that religion.
How'd you like to be accused wrongly of a crime and then, during your testamony before the court, be sworn in over the Principles of Wicca or [[insert religion you have no adherance to]].
Incidentally, I thought this:
IMHO, I think that putting the Ten Commandments in schools will do for student morality what putting the bible in motel rooms has done for adultery.
... was hilarious. It's funny because it's true.
Wiccans believe in love, racial and gender equality, respect for nature and personal responsibility. The vast majority of Wiccans believe in a single unifying and creative force in the universe and that the “God” and Goddess” aspects are merely the male and female attributes to said force. One should note however that Wiccans do not believe in a single evil force i.e. Satan. Hence the assertion that Wiccans are Satan worshippers is a complete misconception.
Wiccans believe that they are personally responsible for their own lives and that the “Law of Three” applies to all actions, be they good or evil. That is to say actions, good or bad, return to a person “3-fold”. This belief has often been compared to the Eastern philosophy of “Karma” but differs, in that the “3-fold law” applies directly to this lifetime and is not visited on you in the next, as is “Karmic Justice”.
The Wiccan Philosophy is based almost solely on personal responsibility hence the saying “an it harm none, do what thou wilt.” In other words, you are free to do what you wish as long as it doesn’t harm others and unlike other beliefs systems, there is no scapegoatism in Wicca. Regardless of your good intentions, you are responsible for your actions and will either reap the benefits or suffer the consequences of said actions whichever is appropriate.
So if your concern is that Wiccan beliefs will somehow irreparably damage young children’s minds with their messages of love, racial and gender-based equality, respect for nature and philosophy of personal responsibility, then you should indeed be concerned.
I believe that we have much to learn from all religious beliefs but the exclusion of one i.e. Christianity, on the basis that since it is such a widely held belief that minority religions must be afforded "special privlegde" smacks of religious affirmative action and is on its face and in its soul, discrimination and quasi establishment, as the government is giving disproportionant assistance to certain religion at the expense of the others.
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.