Constitution 101...installment #1. "seperation of church and state  

"Their intention was not to keep our faith in God out of the government...just to keep government from regulating our faith"
wow, I don't think I have ever seen it worded so comprehensively, thank you for that spally, you rok!

I hope to post more of these. People seem averse to actualy reading the constituion. either out of intimidation or apathy, so, to borrow a religious phrase, if you can't get Mohamehd to the mountain, then you bring the mountain to Mohamehd.

There may still be a couple of free countries left apart from the US. I was pretty free last time I checked !!

You guys aren't so hung up on keeping religion out of public view up there, at least that was my experience in my time up there. Some people here seem to have almost a rabid reaction to even the mention of god in public. It is indeed sad when kindergarden class has to rename a christmas play to a "holidat play" or a "winter play" to avoid offending one or two people.

I am not against religion in public life. In fact I am all for freedom of religion. But it hurts me, being a singer, when I hear that in some Malls they cannot even sing Christmas Carols. So do not think that I am against religion in public life because I am not. I am referring to others. It hurts me when I read that because of political correctness they call an Easter Concert a Spring Concert, and a Christmas Concert a Winter Festival. I do not want that the only time you want to hear Hark the Herald Angels Sing or Christ the Lord is Risen Today is when you go to a Christian School.

I know your not oposed to it.

Actually I am against having a certain belief or denomination proposed by the State, like in England, their state religion is the Anglican religon, in France it is Roman Catholicism, in Arabia Islam. I am against a state deciding that public officials cannot be Christians, Jews, Muslims, and that they cannot pray to God, Allah, or whomeer in public.
I am against the removal of the Ten Commandments, references to the Bible and creches from public displays. I feel if it is all right to have the Star of David, the Crescent Star, a saying by Buddha, etc. there should be right to show the words of Jesus. Unfortunately as in Animal Farm, some religions are considered more equal than others.

suspenseful, I think you really hit the nail on the head. The proponents of all this mess are "interpreting" the Constitution to mean what they want it to mean, not what it really means. Then they have counted on the ignorance of so many people who blindly follow when they teach that it says separation and that separation actually means complete isolation. While they're at it (mangling words and the Constitution), why should they bother to include those religions that you mention that are religions, even secularism and atheism (they are a value system, regardless of what their values are) -- they are already misleading people and reteaching people, so they obviously don't care that they are teaching lies. One more lie, that atheism for example doesn't count, is nothing to them. But we, the people, NEED to educate ourselves and each other and stop following blindly anything that "they" say.

So as it turns out now, our government is embracing and enforcing (more and more) a secular/atheistic/humanistic (I know they're not exactly the same, but they all are being embraced, enforced, and pushed) religion on us -- which is against the Constitution.

The UK doesn't have a state religion. The Queen is Head of State and also head of The Church of England. Due to the fact that we are a Constitutional Monarchy the Queen has no power and the Prime Minster is the real head of the country.

Religion plays little or no part in the politics of the UK and never will. The Church is not a strong institution in the UK so we have no problem with religious interference.

SUspensfull, you guys still have a bit more of a mix between the two, religion and government, for example, your government's support of catholic schools as a part public school system.

I think you may have taken this a little personaly. It was not directed at you specificly, this has come up many times before with others as well over a long period of time, so don't take it to heart, ok? it wasn't an attack at all. :)
I do need to correct a typo of mine though, the letter was to the Danbury Baptist association association, I had pasted some other text as reference and missed some when deleting it. Here is a copy of Jefferson's Letter:

Gentlemen

The affectionate sentiments of esteem & approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist association, give me the highest satisfaction. my duties dictate a faithful & zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, and in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more & more pleasing.

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man & his god, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign 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. [Congress thus inhibited from acts respecting religion, and the Executive authorised only to execute their acts, I have refrained from presenting even occasional performances of devotion presented indeed legally where an Executive is the legal head of a national church, but subject here, as religious exercises only to the voluntary regulations and discipline of each respective sect.] Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common Father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves and your religious association, assurances of my high respect & esteem.

(signed) Thomas Jefferson
Jan.1.1802.

and even in correcting my typo I have another typo....sigh....lol.

They sell keyboards at Walmart, x.

yeh, but do they sell typing skills?

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An environmentalist is a person who may advocate the sustainable management of resources and stewardship of the natural environment through changes in public policy or individual behavior. In various ways (for example, grassroots activism and protests), environmentalists and environmental organizations seek to give the natural world a stronger voice in human affairs.

I find it interesting that it is rarely the Christians who are filing protest over others beliefs but are the victim of the attacks. I have seen displays for Ramadan, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah, without my Christian friends say anything about it. They do get upset at a news story that talks about the Holiday season with out mentioning Christmas but then does a feature on Ramadan or Kwanzaa. My granddaughter came and told me about Kwanzaa and how they had learned about it in school, yet they could not have a Christmas Program, because some one might be offended. In a world History course my daughter learned about the Major faiths of the world and the text book only had a paragraph on Christianity (mainly the Spanish Inquisition) while the other religions had a sub chapter on them. She learned about socialism, Communism, and Monarchies but all she learned about Capitalism was the Robber Barons. We need to be teaching our children about our country and what made it great.

Could you give a bit of detail as to what beliefs are different? I'd love to answer but I don't want to mistake your meaning.

When we finally declared our independence one of the first things we dumped was Christmas. We considered it a custom of England and not wanting anything to do with England, it was out the door. No celebration, no special masses, just another day of the week.
And then there's the church taxes, when the Sabbath starts and what can be done on it and separation of the sexes and so on.

I'm sorry, like I said I really wanted to answer your question, but I have even less idea what you're talking about now than I did before! We dumped Christmas when we declared our independence?? In what universe? Separation of the sexes??
What are you talking about? Are you in the US?

Check you American history

http://www.thehistoryofch...

"After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. in fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under America's new constitution. Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870."

yes I am in the US and I do know our history.

Boston outlawed christmas from 1659 t0 1681.

The first American christmasses where more of a drunken free for all than religious celebration.

And if it wheren't for the Dutch, we wouldn't be buying gifts for everybody.

There's a lot of history out there, you can't just take somebodies word for it, you have to go looking yourself.