http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/living/religion/14179181.htm
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/opinion/14187133.htm
Firstly, wouldn't that trample the rights of all others? Secondly, wouldn't that be unconstitutional?
It's a terrible idea. The founding fathers had not intentions of there being a nationally endorsed religion. It would seriously trample the rights of others. Look at what happened in Iraq, they have a national religion of Islam and a guy was going to be killed for converting to Christianity. It also is a violation of the first amendment.
Quotes from sources below:
"When the government puts its imprimatur on a particular religion it conveys a message of exclusion to all those who do not adhere to the favored beliefs. A government cannot be premised on the belief that all persons are created equal when it asserts that God prefers some." Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun in the Lee v. Weisman ruling, 1992.
"Thomas Jefferson, as president, wrote a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut on 1802-JAN-1. It contains the first known reference to the "wall of separation". The essay states in part:
"...I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State..."
During the 1810's, President James Madison wrote an essay titled "Monopolies" which also refers to the importance of church-state separation. He stated in part:
"Strongly guarded as is the separation between religion and Government in the Constitution of the United States, the danger of encroachment by Ecclesiastical Bodies may be illustrated by precedents already furnished in their short history."
The US Supreme Court has interpreted the First Amendment as if it requires this "wall of separation" between church and state. It not only prohibits any government from adopting a particular denomination or religion as official, but requires government to avoid excessive involvement in religion."
Its crap, people shouldnt pay attention to it.
first off thank you for bringing this to our attention. secondly this is unfortunately not against the Constitution of the united states because the US Constitution only prohibits the setting of a national religion not a state or city one. In fact if they are truly trying to establish Christianity as a State religion I would not at all be surprised. As for trample on the rights of others I am sure this bill is very carefully worded to avoid that the bigger question you must ask yourself is what kind of precedent dose this send? Will this mean that other Religions will have different laws and statures that apply to them? Will the government require more taxes from not Christian organizations? Could it one day lead to a ban on non-Christian places of worship this can become a very dangerous slippery slope. At first Hitler too only wanted the Sudetenland he did not care for all of Europe we saw how quickly he changed his mind.
Synthia,
First, thanks for your excellent contributions here on YA. As for the article per say, i like what the writer expressed: Seperation of Church and state and adapting promptly to new various non-Christian faiths...
As for the Kansas constitution of a Stat Religion... well education surely has not been well provided for in those areas... Fear is certainly rising.
It is time to start getting the Churches involved in bulding and defining our common grounds and common denominator for our American identity. Seclarism promoted by religions is essential. Getting religions out of schools is critical at this time... Especially with the introduction of a competting religion that also wants its share of the Proselitism market(Islam). America will only loose not to be pro-active in secularism and quickly install a massive program to teach COMMUNICATIONS between all individual and empower them to protect and defend the secularity that allow anyone to GENUINELY Freely choose what to beleive, practice and adhere to as much as freely LEAVE anything it wishes to follow the heart rather than communal choking.
Communal issues are rising at the expense of National identity and IDEALS. America Was and Is an ideal yet if secularism and communal and Auto exclusion type of permitting legislature persist, America will be nothing less than a future Lebanon with its religious, tribalistic and clanic approach to freedom, democracy and religious rights... Civil war will come out of it for sure...
This is not only utterly ridiculous, but unconstitutional, and I don't see anyway of them making this a reality anyway. They just want to scare people into voting in a new constituion, and say sure why not, God is good. Remember, we are a democracy and we have the right to not vote in this new law also.
I am what I would consider a non-traditonal Catholic, if that makes sense. I believe most of whats preached in the Bible, though I DO believe some of it is exageratted, and also a lot has to do with perspective of how THEY saw things at the time, which may or may not be reality. I don't attend church on a weekly basis, although I do try to go when it works for me. I work late on sat. nights cuz I work at a movie theater, for me to come home and wake up on a sunday morning just because that's what society says you should do to show your religion is utterly ridiculous. I don't believe you have to go to church to talk to God, and I do pray often to Him privately. Religion is more of a personal thing to me. I DO however enjoy going to church when I can, because I feel it's a beautiful thing to all pray together, and be united, etc. I however do not feel it is a necessary part of religion.
Anyway, the point I'm making, is try telling that to a little old lady who has no family, and who has made the church community her family, who attends mass every week, sometimes more... Obviously, she will feel different, as I'm sure many others both young and old who may feel that if you don't go to church every week, or if you don't take the bible literlly word for word, that your not a Catholic therefore you don't believe in God. There are also many other religions increasing in popularity as stated in the article such as hinduism, budism, etc. I feel these religions are frowned upon because of simple fact that theres others of their religion/race killing people in iraq, etc. Why should we be judgemental of them because of that??? I don't agree with the war and everything thats happening in general in iraq, but that's not every one of them... There were many muslims etc. who had to hide their religion and were afraid to come out of their house after 9/11, thinking we'd all hate them for it, or kill them... Is that right??? That's like saying since there have been instances of priests and other clergymen commiting rape and molestatioon charges against little boys, that all priests are horrible people that you can't trust your children arouond... Are you serious????? Everybody should be judged by who they are as an indiviudal, not by their race, ethnicity, religion, etc.
Anyway, I'm rambling again, but let's turn the tables for a second, and but myself in anothers shoes. Would I like it if tomorow a law passed that everybody in the United States have to practice Muslim???? Though, as previously stated, I do respect other religions, and have nothing bad to say about their religion as a whole, does that mean I should be forced to practice it????? I don't think I could if I had to... Sure I could attend their services and I can participate in whatever religious rites they do, but does that make me a believer?????? Which btw, just proves my point that i said earlier about not having to attend mass every week, I think God would rather me practice my religion on a private basis, but still truly believe in him, than have some nonbeliever attending church each week just to prove others he's a catholic, which means nothing...
Again, each persons religion is different, and even within religions, each person may interpret things differently and put their own twist on it. And thats perfectly acceptable... And you know what, because I believe in God doesn't make him exist either... Believing is just that, believing... I believe it to be true, I also (and stop reading if your under 10ish) believed in Santa Clause, Easter Bunny, and Tooth fairy to be real when I was little... There is no way to prove whether my religion is right, or if yours is right, or if the aethiests are correct that there is no God at all... THat's why religion is based on faith... I have faith that God exists... Others have faith that there are many different Gods existing... Others have faith that there are no Gods at all... I guess we will have to wait and find out who's right....
In the meanwhile I will never judge another person for what they belive, and I hope they respect mine the same... Who knows maybe they were right all along? Maybe there is noone to answer our prayers, but I'll take that chance...
Sorry so long.. But hopefully our government can begin to see the other side to this, that you cannot force a religion onto somoeone
Did you read the actual text of HCR 13? or just the article about it?
The goal is to restore clarity to the ongoing debate over the meaning of the separation of church and state.
Sinthya, you have some of the most intelligent questions and answers on yahoo answers.
Yes, this would trample the rights of all others. The things our nation is doing these days in the name of Christianity are far from being Christian. To force feed one brand of religion on everyone is not what this country was founded on. I'm really alarmed at the right wing religious right movement that is infiltrating our government. It's dangerous.
I consider myself a Christian (with a lot of Taoist influence) but I am embarassed to associate myself with this title because so many people link it with this religous right. One of the things that makes America so unique is our diversity. My family is a prime example. I was raised Baptist. At various times in my life I've been a member of the Church of Christ and then became Lutheran. Now I don't go to church because I'm so disillusioned with what it's become. My mother was methodist, became baptist. My father was always baptist. My sister became catholic. My step-father and step-brother were Jewish. One of my daughters is Wiccan, one goes to the Nazareen church, my son doesn't go to church but does believe in God. I think our family presents a fair sampling of religious diversity.
I just hope that we have a lot of young people like you out there that will keep critical thinking alive; who won't become "sheep" that follow this "I'm right, so you must be wrong" way of thinking that is sweeping our nation.
It would be unconstitutional.
The great thing about this country is that we all have the right to believe what we want to believe. I'm a Christian, but to tell people of other faiths that they can't practice their beliefs is wrong. I wouldn't want someone telling me that I can't practice my faith in Christ.
I may not agree with those of other faiths, and I may tell those folks that I believe they are wrong, and they can, and will, tell me that I'm wrong in my faith, but that is my right and their's. Please don't take that away!
That is why we are here in the first place. Many of the colonists that came over here did because they disagreed with the religious practices of the Church of England.
Wow, they would really have to change the constitution and they might find that hard. Religious pluralism is a good idea. They just need to accept the fact that some people believe in things that they might not. It doesn't mean it's bad, just different.
Establishing a state religion of any kind would be uncostitutional. Separation of church and state means just that. but that does not include separation of God and state.
Yes it would totally trample the rights of other people. I have a good friend who's a Rabbi,several Wiccan and Pagan friends, there's a Buddhist temple just down the street from me,and I have family and friends who I love dearly that are Christian.It is extremely unconstitutional to just have a State religion.That's why the Puritans and Quakers and so on all came over from England!'Course back in the day, it meant death to not belong to the Church of England,but that's neither here nor there.And wouldn't having a state religion be tantamount to segregation?So if one state does actually pull it off, what happens to people who aren't christian?Will they have to move?I thought segregation was illegal.
Is what a good idea? A Theocracy? I read the articles, didn't make much sense to me. IMO no earthly Theocracy will yield productive results.
Yes. Yes.
No, not a good idea at all. Suddenly, the fear is upon me...
Yes and yes....And really I have nothing else to say. Everything I'm thinking has either been said by you or by whoever wrote that article...So I guess thats it.
Peace
No, it is not a good idea to have a state sanctioned religion. It is a good idea to have the debate about it, though.
Oh, I'm glad you brought this to peoples attention, Yes it is very stupid but I can't say I figure you can't say we didn't see this comming. Of course the government would love to controle all aspects of life and hold one religion over all the others. You see what religion does it brings people together then rips a bloody path through everyone that is not brought in by it's word. You and I both know religion is a wonderful cause for war and all the other bad things we can think of, I know that religion can do great things as well but when one religion trys to take over the world all will go to hell as usual, the government would just like to cuase more controversy over church and state untill they cause a uprise or a civil war.. I just I should stop my little rant for now, but I really would like to hear what else you have to say about this. You posted this question you must have a strong opinion.
Yea it would in both accounts, I think that some of those government officials need to go back to school for another class of Civics, Separation of State and Church should be the main curriculum. Apparently they forgot.
It would be immensely unconstitutional and the day something like that happens will be the first day of the second U.S. Civil War.
Truth is, our nation would never adopt something like that anytime in our lifetime. The battle between the sacred and the secular is still too fiery. Now had it been pressed during the red scare, it may have gone somewhere. I can't imagine our nation will ever touch a phase again where the classification of citizens religion will be Christian, Jew, or enemy.
Christianity has played a positive role in this country without a doubt.
However, the Christian movement at it's roots(Jesus) was counter-culture and underground. Jesus never meant for His church to be in bed with the state.
Passing "Christian" laws, in my opinion, is a way of making sure that they don't need to pray for things to change, and instead, can use power tactics and political maneuvering.
If Jesus meant for His disciples to use politics and power and influence to get things done, He would never have talked about praying in faith, He would have talked about campaign statements and strategies.
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