Posted on 08/26/2003 6:52:22 AM PDT by bedolido
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 to peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
That is the First Amendment. It forbids the Government from establishing a religion of its own, as England did with the Church of England...and it prohibits governmental interference with the free exercise of practicing the religion of your choosing...or not, if that is what you want.
What has happened in the last 40 years of liberal/socialism leanings in this country? Children are not allowed to bow their heads and say a silent prayer in school. Nervous employers forbid employees from wearing a plain cross necklace. High school kids can wear shirts that say, “I’m a Nazi” but are forbidden to wear one that says, “I am a Christian.” Federal judges are banning the Boy Scouts from public schools and parks because they express a belief in God.
"The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But, under the name of 'liberalism', they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened." --Norman Thomas, former U.S. Socialist Party Presidential Candidate
Socialists say religion has NO place in politics or the public forum. The Constitution says so...our Forefathers said so...but did they?
“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness - these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”
President George Washington’s Farewell Address to the Country
“Barry W. Lynn, who is president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and testified against Ashcroft during his confirmation hearings, said that "at a minimum, it seems to increase the perception that [Ashcroft] cannot separate his religious agenda from his public office." (Washington Post) I guess we are fortunate that George Washington lived when he did. If he was alive today, he would be ridiculed and probably would not be elected dog catcher. His “religious” leanings and his strong feelings that “the mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them,” (religion and morality) would not only make him unacceptable as President, but he would be banned from the Supreme Court.
One thing socialism surely has in common with communism, is the belief that there is no place for religion, or God, anywhere. That is their ultimate goal. Not the separation, but the total destruction of religion in this country.
On most socialist pages, Ashcroft is attacked with wild abandon. “Ashcroft, a mullah in the American Taliban that is the religious right, is yet another symptom of a fascist regime out of control. Religious fundamentalists are extremists no matter which side they are on.” Because Bush states his belief in God is a foundation of his life, he is depicted in shameful picture with his face on the body of Christ in GQ magazine. Anyone who dares utter the word God is called a radical religious freak.
I recall the same type of talk in 1960, when JFK was elected. Being the first Catholic president, there were those who said we were turning over the White House to the Pope to run. What nonsense.
There are people...a minority to be sure, that want “under God” removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. They want “In God We Trust” removed from our money. They want the Ten Commandments banished and out of sight. They are the true atheist socialists in America. The frightening thing is this, this minority is in control of the courts and they are winning. They are outraged by those of us who simply have faith. They feel we are weak or stupid. What they don’t understand is this, that faith does not make us weak, it makes us stronger. They must have been horrified when, after 9/11, we turned to the government for answers and solutions, but we turned to God for comfort and strength. They tried to forces schools to remove "God Bless America" from their grounds. The Supreme Court agreed with them but also added that they had NO power to enforce their ruling. Since locals refused to comply, all over the country, the ACLU realized they were making their move at a bad time.
All over the country it happened. It must have frustrated the socialists terribly to see they have really gained so little ground ridding the country of its religious foundation. Even the ACLU recoiled and wisely remained silent, because they were shouted down from every corner for their hammering away at our basic, solid belief that God has indeed blessed America. The belief is there and there is nothing they can do about it. Americans will always turn to God in times of need.
If some wish to bow down to the alter of government, that is their choice. Perhaps, in some ways, it is a religious war...one between we who believe and those who do not. Ones who twist their faith or Constitution into something it is not. We will win. No matter what people choose to call God, we outnumber you millions to one and we have the one thing you do not....FAITH. That gives us a strength you will never understand. Now that 9/11 has faded in most people memories, those who desired to destroy God in our society have gotten bold once again.
Some of the greatest minds in the human race, believed in God. Albert Einstein, an avowed atheist, had several debates with Bishop Sheen, a well known Bishop of that time. After several debates with Bishop Sheen, Albert converted to the Catholic Church shortly before his death.
The Ten Commandments are the basis of nearly every law we have in existence. Thou shalt not kill, steal, lie, commit adultery . In fact, they are the cornerstone of our society. “Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice?”
Perhaps the ones the socialists fear the most are these two. Honor thy Father and Mother and Put no other gods before me. You see, they want the government to be both father and mother AND god. You cannot believe in God and then look to your government for life. Why do you think China persecutes any belief in God to the point of execution? They fear the human belief in a Supreme Being is more powerful than they. It undermines their control. Why do you think the King sent his soldiers to kill the newborn "king" over 2000 years ago? Fear. Fear that the people would follow him. They didn’t understand it wasn’t the kings power the Son of God wanted. Just as today’s socialists don’t understand it is not world domination we who believe in him today are interested in. What we want is to be allowed to believe without being assaulted for it at every turn. They must understand and accept we will not put any government before him. Render unto God what is God's and render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. There is no conflict on our side.
Parental rights have been eroded. The family unit nearly destroyed by liberalism. Parents are afraid to discipline their children and our public schools teach them that socialism (government ownership of our lives) is a good thing. They teach them that the traditional family is wrong. The gay and lesbian life styles are a good alternative. Get pregnant? No problem, just go kill it. Young girls don't even need to let their parents know. Life means nothing. Morals are a thing of the past. Those beliefs are for the old fashioned, the religious whacko’s. The two pillars of our strength, religion and morals, are both under massive attack from the left. A President that lies under oath and commits adultery? Not a problem for them...how "European". Do we really want to be like Europe?
“In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness - these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.”
The cries from the liberal/socialists is that they are great patriots, standing tall with pride, clutching the Constitution to their hearts, protecting it. But President Washington foresaw them as well. He saw the two great strengths of our country as religion and morality. He saw that there would be those who would use their twisted views to subvert these “great pillars of human happiness”. Washington knew they would cry on high in their belief in freedom as they labor to subvert. Just as the terrorists twist and subvert their religious beliefs into an ugly and evil version, suited to their own personal desires, the left's goal is to twist our constitution into something ugly. Hypocrite: a person who pretends to be what he is not, one who pretends to be better than he is, a pretense of virtue. This is today’s liberal/socialists. Hypocrites.
Though Catholic, I do not claim to be an expert on the Catholic Religion. Nor am I an expert on Islam. Both have violence in their past. Both have violence in their main books...the Bible and the Koran. But there can be no doubt that the terrorists...much like our own here America with our Constitution, have twisted these great works into what they want them to be.
It cannot be denied that men like bin Laden have twisted Islam into justifying the mass murder of thousands....“sending their sons to die for them”. It is also true that the Christian religions believe the God sent his son to die for us. Somehow, the twisted minds of our own hysterical god-haters see this as a greater danger than the terrorists themselves. What are they so afraid of?
They are opposed to anyone who doesn’t believe as they do. They say they believe in freedom, but they don’t. They quote the Constitution, but spit on it when no one is looking and have set their sights on it’s total destruction. They attack the right to bear arms, the freedom of religion. They have even twisted freedom of speech into "we can say what we want, but you cannot, because we don't want to hear it." If the media doesn’t follow their doctrine, they are “under the control of the radical religious right”. If a Republican invokes the name of God, his Constitutional freedom of speech is strangled.
There are exceptions of course...they didn’t mind when Bill Clinton quoted scripture in virtually every speech. Why? Because they knew he was a hypocrite like themselves, so they didn’t shake in fear when he did it. They didn’t mind when Joe Lieberman and Al Gore gave entire speeches about their strong religious beliefs because they knew in their hearts they were merely telling the masses what they wanted to hear. But let a Republican even mention the name of God and they are outraged. More hypocrisy.
We on this side of the fence outnumber you. We will not allow you to destroy this country. There will be a confrontation. We will also not allow our government to establish a church. But make no mistake and listen well.....we will not give up our freedom of religion or our freedom of speech to express it. If it angers you, so be it. Do not put words in the mouths of our forefathers that were never there. That, you have no right to do.
"Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster, and what has happened once in 6000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world." Daniel Webster Amen, Mr. Webster, Amen.
Barbara Stock
Barbara Stock is a 53 year old RN from Michigan fairly new to political writing. Mother, Grandmother, Proud Conservative Republican. She welcomes comments at: dickens 50@att.net website: Republican and Proud
"We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come." -- Samuel Adams
"Liberty exists in proportion to wholesome restraint." --Daniel Webster
"Your love of liberty -- your respect for the laws -- your habits of industry -- and your practice of the moral and religious obligations, are the strongest claims to national and individual happiness." --George Washington
"Reading, reflection and time have convinced me that the interests of society require the observation of those moral precepts ... in which all religions agree." --Thomas Jefferson
"It would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe." Washington continued: "No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency." --George Washington
Yea, exactly as the forefathers wrote...no law should give any denomination/religion preference. Thus keeping the federal govt out of religious affairs. I see feds getting into religious affairs that should be resolved inside that state.
Is there a specific law that gives any particular sect special treatment?
The Alabama Supreme Court cannot legislate law, nor can the SCOTUS! Congress can only make laws!
In 1892 our Supreme Court Decision in Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States said, "Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of The Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian...This is a religious people. This is historically true. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation...we find everywhere a clear recognition of the same truth...These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation." The Supreme Court studied this for 10 years before writing this unanimous decision which clearly states that we are not a pluralistic, but we are a Christian nation.
In 1931, in the case of United States v. Macintosh, 283 U.S. 605 the court said, "We are a Christian people...according to one another the equal right of religious freedom, and acknowledge with reverence the duty of obedience to the will of God."
In 1952 the Supreme Court, in the case of Zorach v. Clauson, 343 U.S. 306 307 313 stated: "We are a religious people and our institutions presuppose a Supreme Being...When the state encourages religious instruction or cooperates with religious authorities by adjusting the schedule of public events to sectarian needs, it follows the best of our traditions. We cannot read into the Bill of Rights a philosophy of hostility to religion."
In 1963 the Supreme Court, in the case of School District of Abington Township v Schempp, 374 U.S. 203,212,225 pp.21, 71, records: "The State may not establish a 'religion of secularism' in the sense of affirmatively opposing or showing hostility to religion, thus preferring those who believe in no religion over those who do believe."
The latter is just what is happening to America.
Barbara, as a newcomer to political writing you're doing well. Keep it up.
I searched and searched but found no evidence of the above. Much of what I found centered around discussions with Bishop Sheen on the theory of relativity.
In one result, I saw that Cardinal O'Conner, then in Boston, wrote of his concern that relativity would be taken beyond science and implemented with respect to morals. Very prescient!
As I posted before, from previous cases, Justices affirmed that this nation was indeed established upon the Judeo Christian religion. Preference was given but laws were not established.
Early in our history the Justices were strict constitutionalists. Today they tend through their decisions to be molders of culture, makers of law in contrast to the original intention of our founders who set up the three branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. They may be taking out of the hands of the American people the most basic moral and cultural decisions.
In the recent opinion by the court it was affirmed that Roy Moore did have the discretion over what decorations adorned the building housing his court.
Whether the present generation likes it or not, our principles of justice, originally, were primarily based on the Ten Commandments. Merely taking down Ten Commandments monuments will not obliterate that historical fact. Acknowledging that fact is simply acknowledging truth. And denying that history is simply another way of denying truth or wishing it would go away--another way of trying to "re-write" history.
The Establishment Clause does not require that the public sector be insulated from all things which may have a religious significance or origin.
This post is a compilation of my previous posts on another thread.
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