Icon Re: When 'tolerance' backfires
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pkjensen (view)

<<The problem today is those "not believing" are now demonstrating intolerance to those "believing," as seen by many activist court cases to remove God from the Pledge, prohibit Ten Commandments monuments, erase Judeo- Christian symbols off city seals, stop prayer at school ball games and graduations, ban Boy Scouts and Salvation Army, and censor historical documents. They are, in effect, establishing a State Religion of Atheistic Secular Humanism. >>

I think what "non-believers" are more after is a true interpretation of the First Amendement--<<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 peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. >>

Most of the grievances you claim that "non-believers" have were enacted by laws of some sort, whether it be the Pledge, 10 commandments on public buildings, federal funds to the Boy Scouts and Salvation Army via United Way and other contributions, etc. (BTW, I haven't heard of anyone trying to ban either the Scouts or Salvation Army, but I might have missed that at my Scout leader meetings......)

Turn the tables.  If a Muslim judge erected a monument in his courthouse that contained elements of the Quran, or if a Hindu mayor attempted to put a sculpture of Vishnu on city hall, or if a Wiccan group wanted to gather and perform rituals of nature during High School study hall, would Christians be openly accepting of these actions?  I'm guessing not, because they run counter to Christian prinicples.

So, a choice must be made.  Are we going to repeal the First Amendment in order to allow what many Christians appear to want most, which is that Christianity be proliferated into every element of our society?  Or are we going to actually live by the First Amendment, and allow everyone to worship as they choose-which could mean not worshipping at all-and keep religion and government completely separate?

I agree with the author, the Constitution was written at a time when the overwhelming majority of society was Christian.  Times have changed, but the Bill of Rights hasn't.

Just the 2 bits of an agnostic who's still searching for the answers....

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