I found a pretty decent article today, pointing out one of the problems of the National Day of Prayer is that its "government-sponsored evangelism" and decidedly Christian. What the author fails to recognize is that being Christian-centric is not the primary problem. The primary problem is having a NDP at all. If we are to have a day celebrating anything regarding religion, it should be the tremendous freedom which is afforded to all in this nation, the freedom of religion, which allows for everyone to pursue their religious opinions free from government influence or repercussions.
If we wish to truly maintain the spirit of this day, it would be a good idea to stop encouraging people to pray to the "almighty God" and perhaps leave the emphasis on the religion of one's own choice.
The problem is actually the "spirit of the day", not the emphasis on one particular spirit. Religious freedom includes the freedom to not indulge in religion at all. For the government to promote one choice over another, the choice of religion over the choice of no religion, is a mistake which may violate the Establishment Clause.
I would think that the American government should be in the business of promoting America, trumpeting what's best about this nation. Religious freedom is what should be celebrated, not prayer. A national day celebrating the diversity of opinions concerning religion should be acknowledged and hailed as possible only in such a great nation with an enlightened, secular Constitution which safeguards ALL opinions on religion.
The NDP is an affront to America, and to one of the many things which puts this nation above all others, religious freedom. It's inherently incendiary and divisive, and therefore not the sort of thing our government should either promote or in any way sully its hands with.
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24 comments:
Right on target.
Alex Conley (in the post to which you linked) said: If we have a service, it should be one that represents all faiths, not just Judeo-Christianity, as has previously been the case. ---
Wrong Alex, on at least two counts.
First, we should not have any government-endorsed, government-led, government-presence religious service at all. Ever. The American government is secular, in other words, religiously neutral. It should neither encourage nor discourage religious practices, nor should it participate in such practices. Individual office holders may participate, as private citizens, in the religious practices of their choice. They should never participate in religious practices as function of their offices.
Second, it is impossible to have a religious service that really represents all faiths. Someone will be left out or misrepresented or slighted in some other way. It sounds like a nice ideal, but it's not going to happen.
I have no problem with religious people doing whatever they want to do, as long as they don't expect a seal of approval from a secular government. The fact that Congress did something stupid more than 50 years ago, along with the fact that several presidents since then have repatedly done the wrong thing, does not justify continuing to do the wrong thing. The NDP legislation should be repealed and future services should not be held on government property.
Your proposal of a Day of Religious Freedom is excellent. That would be a time when various religious groups could celebrate their faiths, and the non-religious among us could celebrate our freedom from faith. Everyone wins in that scenario (except those Christians who currently enjoy a privileged position. Oops. Too bad for them).
Philly nails it, and I'd only say that the NDP exacerbates the problem by virtue of the fact that it is geared towards Judeo/Christians. But the only way to relieve the NDP of all associated problems is - to end the fucking thing and do what Philly says - A day of religious freedom. If you want to pray, fine. If you want to celebrate not having any religious beliefs - even better. A NDP is an AFFIRMATIVE statement about the value of religious belief.
one of the many things which puts this nation above all others, religious freedom.
The United States is a great nation. But many other countries are also great and also have religious freedom.
The NDP, however, is exclusively American, and you are right, it is a disgrace to such a great country.
We were first. :)
USA! USA! USA!
PhillyChief,
Don't make me practice my newly acquired swearing skills.
You see that woman on that webpage? That's me right now.
Lorena:
Practice makes perfect. Besides, swearing is fun. The Deacon still chuckles when I let loose with a word he hasn't gotten used to hearing from me.
Yes, Chappie. I should have practiced with PhillyChief.
I think he's mad me now, though.
Try these old grade school classics:
Jane put flowers in her fucking basket.
Dick is good at football, and kicks a lot of ass.
The teacher corrected John, because she doesn't take any shit.
Jane, after hearing Dick talk about his god belief, explained how he was a fucktard.
LOL!
Should I just stand in the corner and repeat them aloud a few times? Or do you want me to write them on my notebook 50 times each?
Oh, I think saying them aloud is a necessity.
Btw, you should see the little reader I got those from. The illustrations are great! :)
How about "See Fucktard Preach....Fucktard did no research, no investigations did Fucktard do, and yet Fucktard proclaims special powers and magic tricks....see Fucktard break crackers for people, those people are ignoramouses, see ignoramouses mindlessly believe Fucktard's story, see no questions asked and no vague thoughts cleared up, those ignoramouses are Fucktard's congregation.....see Fucktard's congregation fork over money into the donation basket, those ignoramouses are paying Fucktard's tax-deducted salary, see the cycle here, the cycle is that the congregation is paying to keep on being lied to".
Hey dickhead, thought I would stop by and say hey.
So my fellow Chiefs fan, what do you think about Peoli, Haley, the draft, etc.? Tony is off to the ATL, LJ is gonna get another shot. 3-4. Cassle.
I'm pretty excited,really.
Hey douche!
I don't know what to think. Hali as an OLB? What, he's gonna become the new Derrick Thomas? What about Dorsey? He's already a bust? He doesn't fit the 3-4 scheme, and there's talk he might get traded for a 2nd round pick! LJ is a fucking tool. I hate having guys like him on the team.
I don't know what to think. It'll be a couple of years before they might be something, but then the fucking Broncos have a bazillion picks so they'll be hitting their stride at the same time.
Well, at least the Raiders still have Al, and the Bolts have Norv.
Hey Fuckface and Cockbreath, can you two take the gay Chiefs talk to a hotel room? Green Bay will bend the Chiefs over and pack them.
Ahh Evo... the petrified skull is a good avatar for you, old man.
Did you hear that Farve is trying out with the Vikings? I hear his salary will be 30 pieces of silver.
If KC goes 8-8 this year, I will be happy. LJ's knees are aging fast, and the dude really has no heart, but he's good for a couple more years.
I think what every fan wants to see is what Matt Cassle can do here. Is he for real? Or was he good last year because he had all the Pro Bowler's, MVP's and Superbowl players with him?
Either way, King Carl is gone and there was dancing in the streets.
I don't know if 8-8 would be a good or bad thing at this point. I do know I would like to see them win here in Philly. I might go to that game, but if the Chiefs actually win, I might not get out of the stadium alive.
@ Venjanz - I feel badly about and for Bret. But I'm at peace with the whole thing and will just fondly remember his many years as a Packer. Kind of like how I remember Bart Starr and leaving the coaching days out of it. (More evidence that the skull is perfect for me).
@ Philly - Plus your TV is the best seat in the house. It's an no-brainer. (which is what you'd be if you go and the Chiefs somehow manage to win).
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