"I shake my head over the way communities, counties, schools, and courts seem to think that they are the Congress of the United States. After all, the first amendment states that "CONGRESS" Shall make no law etc. A school promoting prayer, a community center allowing a Christian group to use its facilities, or a city allowing a Christian group to lease property is not Congress, and is not making a law respecting an establishment of religion."
34 comments
Dipshit.
Ever hear of "States Rights"?
I guess not, what with your head up your ass.
Poor, persecuted christian...
Word games. Nuthin' but word games. They're good at that.
Hell, they even do it with their "perfect" holy book, so what's surprising here? "It really means 'thou shalt not murder', which is 'unsanctioned killing', which means that it was a holy thing to send the Isrealites to kill all those people. And our First Amendment rights aren't being respected, because part of our religion is to use any means necessary to convert the world--if we're prevented from persecuting others, then we can't exercise our freedom of religion, and that's persecution! WAAHHHH!!!! This didn't make sense when I was six, and it doesn't make sense now.
That is, when they're not making up their own laws, legal and scientific, to suit their views.
Yes, you are right: courts, communities, counties, and schools are not Congress. Have a cookie!
As for using that as an excuse for them being able to support a single religion as they see fit, that could only be true under one circumstance: if Congress gave no monetary support to those groups/institutions. If those institutions are receiving federal money, they are being supported by Congress, and if they go about supporting a religion, they are doing it as an envoy of the nation. And that is what the establishment clause forbids.
An excellent attempt to skirt the issue, however. Here's another cookie.
DrUnscrupulous good one, I love how thou shall not kill, doesn't apply to stoning people, and burning them in the name of God.
This is two-thirds correct. Promoting school prayer would be in contravention of the Constitution. But community centers can most assuredly allow Christian groups to use their facilities, and nothing prevents a city from leasing land to Christians. These people get exercised over slights that exist only in their pointy little heads.
Technically, only the states have the sovereign right to pass laws. Counties and communities can only pass such laws as are permitted by the state. And the 14th Amendment limits the states' right to pass laws that conflict with the US Constitution. This amendment was added after the Civil War to prevent southern states from end-running the Federal government and re-instituting slavery and other anti-black measures under state law.
US Constitution: Article 6
Look it up some time, then try to say the same thing without lying to yourself.
Actually, my ignorant coward, the Constitution clearly forbids ANY government body, local state or federal, from promoting ANY religion. And, judging by the continued existence of many religions which could be considered cults, the Government is also forbidden from condemning them.
In fact, one could argue that religious freedom is the very reason the U.S. exists. It sure was important to the great men who built this nation and designed our government.
He's right, you know.
Before the passage of the 14th Amendment, some states actually had OFFICIAL STATE RELIGIONS .
However, in 1875 (I think it was), the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the 14th amendment created "umbrellas of protection" that extended certain parts of the Bill of Rights to State (i.e. State and Local) governments.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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