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If color = religion ...
Tuesday, June 28th, 2005 01:18 amIf color stood for religion, then we would only have white. I'm a little partial to white, but that's another story entirely!
So the big decision of the day is that the 10 Commandments cannot be displayed in courtrooms alone. I was listening to a civil liberties lawyer discuss what the decision meant and how he felt about the subject. He felt that no religious items or objects should be displayed in public. Actually he said that they should be banned from the public. But that people should feel free to practice as they like in private. Wow! Welcome to Nazi Germany, everyone. I couldn't believe that guy actually said that. And he's a lawyer! Just another reason not to like lawyers.
But the question came to mind, why is it ok to be religious as long as you aren't religious? If someone's religion was that they believed earthworms were little gods who contained all of the knowledge of the universe, there wouldn't be a problem with this. "Practice in public!" people would laugh. People who don't believe in any kind of religion at all can feel free to practice in public! People who believe in something other than nothing shouldn't practice in public. Please keep your religion to yourself. Or if you can't, then please make it funny. Funny is a little more acceptable than actually having a belief.
We don't need to ban religion. Or keep it private. We need to have tolerance for each other. Now I wouldn't have a problem with this whole keep religion out of everything, if we actually called it what it is. It would be very evident why some people think it is outrageous. If we just came out and said "You know what, people just cannot be tolerant. Therefore if you have any sort of religion, you must be quiet about it. Those who don't have a religion are better than those who do." I mean how outrageous would that be? It's just as outrageous as when France made those girls take off their religious head coverings when in school. But I digress, who wants to see Satanists in school with their dead babies? I mean that wouldn't be tolerant, would it?
After all, even though 97% of the country has some sort of religion, it's best to appear as though it is normal to have a complete lack thereof.
And now for something completely different: Quotes!
"Lighthouses are more helpful than churches." Benjamin Franklin
That was so right when he said it. There was the Catholic church and the Church of England. Both of which were so intertwined in politics, it was ridiculous to think one could find salvation. These churches convinced people they could buy their salvation!! Salvation is given freely. We have only to accept it!
"I have found Christian dogma unintelligible. Early in life I absented myself from Christian assemblies." Benjamin Franklin
See above quote Not only that, but the man went on to create his own religion based on his readings including and especially the Bible. I think that's pretty incredible for a man who never went to school.
"I cannot conceive otherwise than that He, the Infinite Father, expects or requires no worship or praise from us, but that He is even infinitely above it." Benjamin Franklin
This was taken from The Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion in which Benjamin Franklin pondered on the minuteness of man and this planet. And how there were so many infinite possibilities that it was inconcieveable that God, the Creator, could ever has time for us, let alone find our praise and worship worthy of him.
I take exception that anyone would quote Benjamin Franklin as though he were the punchline at a party. I'm sure that he had some great ones, but I really doubt they were one liners.
"There is nothing which can better deserve our patronage than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness." George Washington
Amen, George!
"I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature." Thomas Jefferson
Which at the time of Thomas Jefferson would have been the Church of England and the Catholic Church.
"Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise, every expanded prospect." James Madison
See above
"The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries." James Madison
And amen to that! The two should be seperate entities. The church is much better when it stays out of political affairs. Politics only serves to corrupt the church. Europe and America are seperate. That doesn't mean we never agree or go have coffee together some time.
A Tiger?! In Africa?!
~Bas
So the big decision of the day is that the 10 Commandments cannot be displayed in courtrooms alone. I was listening to a civil liberties lawyer discuss what the decision meant and how he felt about the subject. He felt that no religious items or objects should be displayed in public. Actually he said that they should be banned from the public. But that people should feel free to practice as they like in private. Wow! Welcome to Nazi Germany, everyone. I couldn't believe that guy actually said that. And he's a lawyer! Just another reason not to like lawyers.
But the question came to mind, why is it ok to be religious as long as you aren't religious? If someone's religion was that they believed earthworms were little gods who contained all of the knowledge of the universe, there wouldn't be a problem with this. "Practice in public!" people would laugh. People who don't believe in any kind of religion at all can feel free to practice in public! People who believe in something other than nothing shouldn't practice in public. Please keep your religion to yourself. Or if you can't, then please make it funny. Funny is a little more acceptable than actually having a belief.
We don't need to ban religion. Or keep it private. We need to have tolerance for each other. Now I wouldn't have a problem with this whole keep religion out of everything, if we actually called it what it is. It would be very evident why some people think it is outrageous. If we just came out and said "You know what, people just cannot be tolerant. Therefore if you have any sort of religion, you must be quiet about it. Those who don't have a religion are better than those who do." I mean how outrageous would that be? It's just as outrageous as when France made those girls take off their religious head coverings when in school. But I digress, who wants to see Satanists in school with their dead babies? I mean that wouldn't be tolerant, would it?
After all, even though 97% of the country has some sort of religion, it's best to appear as though it is normal to have a complete lack thereof.
And now for something completely different: Quotes!
"Lighthouses are more helpful than churches." Benjamin Franklin
That was so right when he said it. There was the Catholic church and the Church of England. Both of which were so intertwined in politics, it was ridiculous to think one could find salvation. These churches convinced people they could buy their salvation!! Salvation is given freely. We have only to accept it!
"I have found Christian dogma unintelligible. Early in life I absented myself from Christian assemblies." Benjamin Franklin
See above quote Not only that, but the man went on to create his own religion based on his readings including and especially the Bible. I think that's pretty incredible for a man who never went to school.
"I cannot conceive otherwise than that He, the Infinite Father, expects or requires no worship or praise from us, but that He is even infinitely above it." Benjamin Franklin
This was taken from The Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion in which Benjamin Franklin pondered on the minuteness of man and this planet. And how there were so many infinite possibilities that it was inconcieveable that God, the Creator, could ever has time for us, let alone find our praise and worship worthy of him.
I take exception that anyone would quote Benjamin Franklin as though he were the punchline at a party. I'm sure that he had some great ones, but I really doubt they were one liners.
"There is nothing which can better deserve our patronage than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness." George Washington
Amen, George!
"I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature." Thomas Jefferson
Which at the time of Thomas Jefferson would have been the Church of England and the Catholic Church.
"Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise, every expanded prospect." James Madison
See above
"The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries." James Madison
And amen to that! The two should be seperate entities. The church is much better when it stays out of political affairs. Politics only serves to corrupt the church. Europe and America are seperate. That doesn't mean we never agree or go have coffee together some time.
A Tiger?! In Africa?!
~Bas
