Do you believe in seperation of church and state?

[j105]

I was reading some posts on a forum and noticed a user said something along the lines of this:

"We shouldn't trust politicians or lawyers, But God instead"-Then he basically stated that church and government should meld together and the US should represent Gods will

I always hate hearing these people who say we have to put our trust in God and not government, or that they should be combined. They are seperate for a REASON. We don't need commandments in the courts or prayers in the schools. Its extra scary when you think about these kids who are being brainwashed into crazy religious soldiers of sorts(See the film entitled "Jesus Camp"). I could totally see the U.S. becoming a religious churchy empire in the future!

Thats why the founding Fathers were so baller. They thought ahead. They not only created a government that allowed religious freedom, but did so even though they themselves were bingo, you guessed it, SUPER RELIGIOUS.

Obviously the two have already been combined a little. In God We Trust on our currency is just one of may examples, but that should be the absolute line.

I am not anti-religious. But i cant stand those people who think they have to shove THEIR beliefs down my throat.

Agree? Oppose?

Let me know whats going down in that head of yours

[Statick]

Definitely separation of Church and State.

There are alot of people who have different views of what it means to be a Christian or completely bastardize the words of God to try to force their values on others.

[Guest Gritz]

It's an absolute with me......There must be ongoing vigilance in this country to keep a clear distinction and separation between church and state.

The Founding Fathers absolutely understood that necessity.......

[AF89]

I agree it should be kept out of schools and goverment decisions

but..

Seperation was one of those things that once we started it we didn't know when to stop and it kinda got out of hand with the whole Christmas and over sensetivity thing.

Other than that though I'm full for it.

[etherdome]

I was reading some posts on a forum and noticed a user said something along the lines of this:

"We shouldn't trust politicians or lawyers, But God instead"-Then he basically stated that church and government should meld together and the US should represent Gods will

I always hate hearing these people who say we have to put our trust in God and not government, or that they should be combined. They are seperate for a REASON. We don't need commandments in the courts or pledges in the schools. Its extra scary when you think about these kids who are being brainwashed into crazy religious soldiers of sorts(See the film entitled "Jesus Camp"). I could totally see the U.S. becoming a religious churchy empire in the future!

Thats why the founding Fathers were so baller. They thought ahead. They not only created a government that allowed religious freedom, but did so even though they themselves were bingo, you guessed it, SUPER RELIGIOUS.

Obviously the two have already been combined a little. In God We Trust on our currency is just one of may examples, but that should be the absolute line.

I am not anti-religious. But i cant stand those people who think they have to shove THEIR beliefs down my throat.

Agree? Oppose?

Let me know whats going down in that head of yours

I agree. I support the right to free worship, but I am favor of separating Church from State. It does not get any more basic than that. Free will is the basis of my philosophy.....as long as we do not harm.

I believe that the founding fathers did not think so much about the future as the past. Our Statesmen were avid readers of history and the Greek classics. They were also sensitive to the problems of mixing religion with government.

I reject any religious government.....even if I happen to share the same religious beliefs.

[JDaveG]

"Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and render unto God what is God's."

Yes, I believe in separation of Church and State. That's what Christ taught me to believe. It's not only good government, it's good theology!

[Lord Dark Helmet]

Absolutely.

[atlfan25]

If there's no separation of Church and State, there's no religous freedom.

[nativefalcon]

Definitely separation of Church and State.

There are alot of people who have different views of what it means to be a Christian or completely bastardize the words of God to try to force their values on others.

I wholeheartedly agree, Church and State should be seperate. I wish I could get this bumper sticker I saw on this car it said. The Last time the church ruled the state was the Middle ages.. aka spanish inquisition, the Crusades, etc....... It needs to be seperate.

[ConservativeWarrior]

Separtion of Church and State if figment of imagination that should not be law. The Founding Fathers of this nation was total Christians foremost and they would not have tolerated false teaching's to be pandering to society. They were wary however of a all-powerful dicator setting himself up as king hence they attempted to keep the State out of Church affairs, not the other way around, The King Of England controlled worship in the British Empire but once the American Colonies were on their feet, they did not hold to his laws and regulations. Today deranged liberals and their commuist and socialist supporters use Separtion of Church and State as a hammer to drive Chrisitianity out of the public arena where it has been since the foundation of this country, the Ten Commandments did not get into the courts by mistake, there was not School prayer by mistake, Chrisitianity was not found on all the founding paperwork of this country and engrained in the fabic of the population by mistake.......We are a Christian nation and the enemies of Christianity is at war against us and they us Separtion of Chruch and State as a tatic in the war.........

[Lord Dark Helmet]

Separtion of Church and State if figment of imagination that should not be law. The Founding Fathers of this nation was total Christians foremost and they would not have tolerated false teaching's to be pandering to society. They were wary however of a all-powerful dicator setting himself up as king hence they attempted to keep the State out of Church affairs, not the other way around, The King Of England controlled worship in the British Empire but once the American Colonies were on their feet, they did not hold to his laws and regulations. Today deranged liberals and their commuist and socialist supporters use Separtion of Church and State as a hammer to drive Chrisitianity out of the public arena where it has been since the foundation of this country, the Ten Commandments did not get into the courts by mistake, there was not School prayer by mistake, Chrisitianity was not found on all the founding paperwork of this country and engrained in the fabic of the population by mistake.......We are a Christian nation and the enemies of Christianity is at war against us and they us Separtion of Chruch and State as a tatic in the war.........

Wow. I can tell by the grammar and spelling that you are a republican.

[Sofa_King_What?]

So many people who want a marriage of church and state want a divorce of Christ from Christianity.

The seperation of church and state protects the faithful. Remember that. Some of the first colonists who came to America did so because they did not want to join the STATE CHURCH. So, maybe your particular brand of Christianity isn't the one that is sanctioned by the state? Who is going to protect you then?

The faith based initiatives, which Obama now supports, are-- gee, I wonder why-- being viewed with increasing suspicion by many far right funamentalist Christians, because now they see them as steps toward influence, and ultimately control, of religion by the state.

And think about it. Will churches who are benefitting from faith based initiatives be as likely to speak out against the government if it veers even further away from the Constitution? I don't know... but I've got a pretty good idea.

[JDaveG]

So many people who want a marriage of church and state want a divorce of Christ from Christianity.

The seperation of church and state protects the faithful. Remember that. Some of the first colonists who came to America did so because they did not want to join the STATE CHURCH. So, maybe your particular brand of Christianity isn't the one that is sanctioned by the state? Who is going to protect you then?

The Germans who brought Lutheranism to this country were fleeing forced unionism by their government. I.E., they did not want to be forced to commune with Calvinists.

IOW, the exact thing you warn against already happened, and the faithful fled their homeland to come here to escape it. Ironic, then, that some would have us go back to that here.

[The Egoist]

I wrote this for my high school newspaper last year.

It was recognized by the Gwinnett Daily Post as top editorial for the 07-08 school year in a ceremony and competition between all the high schools located in Gwinnett County.

There is not an idea stated in our lives that has generated more devastating controversy than the general concept of religion. It has seen the rise and fall of countless civilizations, and in many cases, been the sword by which man has waged war against himself for thousands of years. One merely has to remember the ungodly blunders of the Crusades, the dozens of massacres during the protestant reformation, or closer – the fateful day of September 11, 2001 - to easily understand why and how religion has been held in such an infamous position. It is regarded with provable fact that religion has gone almost hand-to-hand with bloodshed over the course of man's history.

It should be noted that this is not the fault of any religion itself. In disregards to the modern secularism movement attempting to blame particular religions (The current favorite being Islam) for our species' utter failure to maintain a reasonable sense of morality, religion is not the cause of any specific wrong doing. It is, however, unfortunately the tool by which men have used to reign corruptly in our violent, young history. Therefore it was and is with great wisdom that the writers of our constitution were steadfast in their belief that keeping religion directly out of the control of the government and the government directly out of the control of the religious was the only way that people could effectively govern themselves. I think the opinion of James Madison sums the truth of this message fairly well: “...practical distinction between Religion and Civil Government is essential to the purity of both, and as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States...”

It is in this direct relevance that religion should be an equally forbidden topic in the public school systems across America. As an extension of the state government and funded by the taxation of its citizens, Public Schools are the literal arms and hands of the government body in its force of action. It is here that opinions are most impressionable, and that is why the notion of purity must be completely maintained and strictly enforced. Not doing so is not only in direct violation of the Establishment Clause, but is a vast disservice to the freedom of religion everywhere.

It is disappointing that these truths are no longer observed by the nation's primary religious majority. In fact, the fictitious vision of Religious Right would have you believe that this nation was founded as Christian one, the Bible is the ultimate authority, and the Ten Commandments are the basis that our theory of justice was created upon. This is blind and absurd. The Founding Fathers were clear in voicing a freedom of religion, which includes the freedom from it. It is the United States Constitution that authority rests on, and the Bible has no real legal standing (and never will). This concept of tolerance is something that has not yet been recognized by these political theists as a whole and doubtfully ever will. They will believe that their self-stated admission of faith is somehow more important than the faith of their neighbor, that their system of belief is unique or special compared to the others. I don't think the drafters of our Constitution can thanked enough for realizing the fallacies behind these ideas.

Being realistic, the importance of religion cannot and should not be understated. It has left its mark in the evolution of mankind clearly, and to ignore it would be a injustice of an unsaid degree. Real or not, the concept of God has shaped the thought and ideas of man for centuries and will continue to do so for as long as the human race sustains itself. It is in the protection of both government and religion that they are separated, and anyone with respect for the concept of free thought should come to the same conclusion. In the reachable goal of equality under law, this is the only position that can truly give us “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.

[The Egoist]

If I was to add or change anything, I would say that I do want to remove the sacred-ness and immunization that religious ideals get from public criticism. It is quite despicable that agnostics, atheists and non-theists are one of the last group of people (in the US) it's still considered acceptable to discriminate against.

[ATL Bear]

If I was to add or change anything, I would say that I do want to remove the sacred-ness and immunization that religious ideals get from public criticism. It is quite despicable that agnostics, atheists and non-theists are one of the last group of people (in the US) it's still considered acceptable to discriminate against.

I'd be interested in how you're defining this discrimination.

[ATL Bear]

And think about it. Will churches who are benefitting from faith based initiatives be as likely to speak out against the government if it veers even further away from the Constitution? I don't know... but I've got a pretty good idea.

You can say this about any person or group that benefits from government largess. It's the inherent weakness in democracy, and the presence of faith is a tangential not essential element.

[rugger8]

Wow. I can tell by the grammar and spelling that you are a republican.

You do know that the average Republican has more years of education than an average Democrat, do you not?

...but back on topic...

Of course there should be a separation of church and state, but I think you are missing some of the meaning of that. The intention was to have religious religious freedom, and not to have a state sponsored freedoms such as what most countries in Europe still have. For instance in Denmark, when you are born, you are a Lutheran; you can convert if you wish, but that is what you are when you are born. That takes faith out of the equation. Other countries have tax penalties for people not of the state religion. At that time there was more extensive persecution, often violent, and not long before that was the Inquisition.

The purpose was not to avoid having the Ten Commandments in courtrooms; in fact much of our legal system is based on Judeo Christian laws; not allowing prayer in schools is dangerously close to restricting people's faith. The purpose was to protect people and allow them to worship as they please, and to find their own faith without persecution. Acknowledging our country's religious heritage is not the same thing as not allowing people to worship as they please.

[jjooee]

Separation of church and State was meant to protect the church from the State.

As usual liberals have turned it on it's head and done the exact opposite.

Senators, Congressman, Judges and all our institutions implemented swearing on the Bible and

putting the "YEAR OF OUR LORD" on real estate documents.

The Church didnt' want the state to have a Govt. sponsored religion like in England.

Christianity is so intertwined in this country that it is rediculous to say we were foiunded

on anything other than Christianity.

[pencilpusher. just because]

If you can show me a political office Jesus ran for, I will agree to letting the two be one. True, Jesus taught to respect authority, but he also told people to respect the position of the Pharisees, whom he called a den of vipers and hypocrites.

If you wish to look to countries where religion is controlled by the government.feel free. China just confiscated 300+ Bibles people were trying to hand out. Want that here? Want the government saying you can only read the King James version? Think it wouldn't come to that?

The government has NO business in religion and religion no place in filthy politics. You cannot mandate faith by laws.

Old testament laws were almost as pure and moral as could be, but Jesus knew they could not SAVE anyone or be forced upon anyone.

Besides, the bible is patently clear that when God's kingdom arrives, all earthly governments will be completely destroyed. That should tell you all you need to know.

[pencilpusher. just because]

Separation of church and State was meant to protect the church from the State.

As usual liberals have turned it on it's head and done the exact opposite.

Senators, Congressman, Judges and all our institutions implemented swearing on the Bible and

putting the "YEAR OF OUR LORD" on real estate documents.

The Church didnt' want the state to have a Govt. sponsored religion like in England.

Christianity is so intertwined in this country that it is rediculous to say we were foiunded

on anything other than Christianity.

So it was good Christians that slaughtered all the Native Americans and enslaved all the blacks to work their fields. Thanks for explaining all that.

[Lord Dark Helmet]

You do know that the average Republican has more years of education than an average Democrat, do you not?

The average maybe, but the highest educated such as doctors, lawyers and scientists are democrats. The smartest people with post grad degrees vote democrat.

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/res...0/epolls.0.html

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/res...0/epolls.0.html

[jjooee]

:P

So it was good Christians that slaughtered all the Native Americans and enslaved all the blacks to work their fields. Thanks for explaining all that.

:P Mr. Misguided.......you put the mis in misguided.

and I say that in love

[Statick]

So it was good Christians that slaughtered all the Native Americans and enslaved all the blacks to work their fields. Thanks for explaining all that.

Like I said: "There are alot of people who have different views of what it means to be a Christian..."

[Tootie Quivers]

It's beyond me that some folks don't support the seperation of church and state.

Do you not like having the freedom to believe and worship as you see fit?

That's like wanting the government to tell me what I can have breakfast...