Do you know what made this country great?
Freedom. And the most important freedom that those who came here were seeking was freedom from having somebody else's religious beliefs shoved down their throats.
How soon we have forgotten.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Did you know?
Do you know what made this country great?
Freedom. And the most important freedom that those who came here were seeking was freedom from having somebody else's religious beliefs shoved down their throats.
How soon we have forgotten.
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Unfortunately, Gryph, the people who DON'T believe that are incapable of understanding that. Even if you try to force it down their throats, they flat refuse to accept it. You can even prove to them Congress worked on Christmas day for the first 67 years we existed and they won't believe it!
ReplyDeletePeople REFUSE to learn! That's why we have idiots!
Ok, LAT episode 3 isn't bad at all. She didn't criticize Levi. She merely pointed out his book is trashy and dishonest, or just silly.
ReplyDeleteYou're not exactly the "reading kind" of woman, are you, Krusty? Not only did you put your stupid comment under the wrong post, but the statement you are making is an absolute lie. There aren't many internet sites that still let you post at all these days, huh?
DeleteI feel sorry for your family, having to baby-sit a middle-aged woman. Does the shame of having been caught reading blogs and texting comments during you own father's funeral not motivate you to seek help at all?
I suppose that, if you refuse to listen to your own immediate family members, it's doubtful you'll listen to a stranger either, since "this" is really all you seem to want to live for. What should be revealing to you is that even your heroes, Sarah and Bristol, have acknowledged your break from reality and have banned you because of your creepy stalking activities.
My wife and I were just talking about this last night. I was discussing the idiots on my FB feed that constantly talk about how the united states Christian Nation, and how wrong those loons are. You read my mind Gryphen!
ReplyDeleteWell, actually, the Puritans, the Quakers and the Shakers were seeking religious freedom FOR THEMSELVES;
ReplyDeleteThey did not believe in religious tolerance for others.
So, this WAS a basis for our country.s foundation, it just was not part of the written documentation by the"Founding Fathers".
We have always been far short of perfect, but we seem to keep trying. We are still very young.
Uh huh. And how many Puritans and Shakers were still around in 1787? And my cousin is a Quaker. To my knowledge - and hers - the Quakers never wanted to enforce THEIR beliefs on anyone.
DeleteName one theocracy that respects individual rights. Name one theocracy where you would want to live? Supporting a religion based government is a fast trip to hell.
DeleteThe important point is that when the colonies came together as a nation, they decided that there would be no state-established religion. You are mixing colonies with what occurred later. All of those who came to the New World seeking freedom to practice their religions wanted to get away from the tyranny of religious wars and of religion imposed by the state. Many of the colonies were founded by specific religious groups; frequently they were being thrown out of England. (The Shakers came later, in the 19th century, and they never dominated a state but set up communities in several states.)
DeleteBut when the colonies came together to create a country, their leaders, our founding fathers (who came from various religious backgrounds), well aware of the centuries of religious strife in Europe and of the fact that people would come to this new country from many places, not just England, decided that the United States would have nothing to do with a state-sponsored church. Thus, the separation of church and state which has stood us in good stead until the Republicans joined with the Christian fundamentalists . . . . So the good battle will have to be fought again.
thank you for this! i just copied and posted it on my facebook page. this should attract some rabid responses from my right wing family and friends. but just possibly it will make ONE of them think. just possibly.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck, Linda. I doubt it, but it would be nice!
DeleteBy the way, Gryph. I actually had someone tell me that section 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli is wrong!
ReplyDeleteAmen!
ReplyDeletebut slavery built this great country
ReplyDeleteThe Declaration of Independence refers to "Nature's God," "by their Creator" and "appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world." The last sentence of the Declaration states:
ReplyDelete"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."
The US Constitution established this Republic, the branches of the government and duties of politicians, not a church.
This Republic was not established as a "Christian" nation, but as a nation that believes in the divine Providence. The only thing that could be construed as "Christian" in the US Constitution would be "(Sundays excepted)" in Section 7, which would reflect the Christian day of worship.
And the pyramid with the all seeing eye on the dollar bill is the Eye of Providence which was adopted in 1782 as part of the symbolism on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. The Eye or God favors the prosperity of the United States. As far back as 1525, the Eye of Providence in a pyramid was used as a symbol of the Christian Trinity.
The Eye first appeared as part of Freemasonry in 1797, fourteen years after the Great Seal of the United States.
The founding fathers specifically added no respect of religion to prevent any religious takeover, duress or coercion by any religious group. No test requirement of politicians was added because this Republic was established to represent all people in public matters, not religious matters.
As a Christian, I am a strong advocate for the separation of church and state. Even under the umbrella of "Christian" there are like 300 Christian denominations and some want to dictate and control what I think or believe. There are even religious leaders who have said they are Jesus like that guy from Waco. The title of the pope is Vicarius Filii Dei (Vicar of the Son of God) which means earthly representative of God or Christ. But in the Gospels, Jesus said there was no one between me and God except Jesus, and that would include any church leader, any man of this earth.
This Republic is a melting pot of people from different cultures and religious beliefs. I may not agree with someone's religion, but I respect their right of freedom to worship as they choose, or not, so long as they allow me the same respect and so long as they "Don't Tread On Me" by forcing religious beliefs on me. But to say that this Republic was established to be a godless nation would not be accurate.
Like the founding fathers, I have a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.
Don't forget the Treaty of Tripoli's Article 11:
ReplyDeleteArt. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion,—as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen [Muslims],—and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan [Muslim] nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.
If anyone ever visits Philadelphia, the constitution center is an amazing resource and treasure geared toward people of all ages, which clearly shows what an amazing "living document" the constitution is and how it shaped our country.
ReplyDeleteIt covers the facts and history involved in the graphic, and shows how the amendments helped the constitution to evolve over time. They also cover different treaties (including Tripoli).
It got a bad reputation because some crazy lady was spouting a fairy tale about Paul Revere warning the British with warning shots and lanterns, but it's truly a wonderful multi media experience.