AMERICA IS BECOMING A THEOCRACY - Where is the seperation line of Church and State?

Question

The Christian right Wing is making and altering laws to make America slowly fall towards theocracy behind everyone's backs.

I am pro abortion/choice and for the most part, I think Gay's should be allowed to marry.

Why is it that these damned right wing christians CAN'T COME UP WITH ANY INTELLIGENT ARGUMENTS against social issues except to mention what is said in the bible?

If Gay people want to have that little piece of paper saying they are happily married and gay - why can't they?

If a woman doesn't want to have her baby why should she be forced to?

The damned Neocons out there think THEY have a handle on the truth just because they learned to read the Bible...OOOOOH WOW

The founding fathers of America made it a point to push for the seperation of church and state so America wouldn't end up being another oppressive theocracy.
Now these stupid rights are trying to destroy the constitution and change all that.

Can't anyone argue based on science or logic?

Answer 1

The line is based on who happens to be in power at the moment, and what their agenda is.

Our form of government is based on might-makes-right majority/mob rule. The majority gets to try to impose their beliefs on the minority. And the only restraints are those imposed by the Constitution, and those the majority chooses to impose on themselves.

The current majority in this country appears to be conservatives. And the current majority of their leaders are religious fundamentalists. So, based on their majority, they seek to impose the moral codes and requirements of their religion on everyone else as a matter of law. It's pretty obvious that there is little if any self-imposed restraint, or respect for allowing different moral beliefs.

So, the only limitations effectively end up being those imposed by the Constitution. The government "shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion". Neither the federal government nor any state shall make civil laws based purely on religious grounds. That's the very essence of the doctrine of separation of church state. That neither shall control the other.

The literal phrasing isn't in the Constitution because the concept was so obvious to the Founders (and anyone else who has studied Constitutional law in depth) that it went without saying. But it's nothing new to Constitutional scholars. The phrase was first adopted by the Supreme Court in 1878, who gave credit for it to Jefferson as the originator of the quote. According to the Court, the phrase should be taken "almost as an authoritative declaration of the scope and effect of the [1st] amendment thus secured." Reynolds v. U.S., 98 U.S. 145 (1878).

It's been US doctrine for almost 130 years, and was referred to in 1943 as "our accepted belief" and "cardinal in the history of this nation and for the liberty of our people". West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943). So those who missed it must not have been paying attention.

Answer 2

WOW take a Valium and chill.Dude. There never was a separation of Church and State. The clause that everyone fires off is that congress shall make no law establishing a State religion, Other wise they are supposed to be hands off the Church. Not the other way around.

Gay people should have civil unions. Marriage is a Religious concept and by your definition should not be allowed in the purview of the State.

The Constitution was completely based on the Bible and the very concept of personal freedom comes from this document. The Fealty to kings and Potentates that reigned prior to the writing of the constitution. Were man made concepts and you would not have had the ability to speak out against what you don't like.

Abortion was never a right under the constitution, it is a privilege granted by the state. Like Guns and militias, and Drivers license, they should be well regulated and difficult to obtain. Why destroy Potential Einsteins when millions of people want to adopt.

So if you want a logical debate you really should understand what the other side of the aisle. not just spew the hate that the Left always seems to put out.

Answer 3

The First Amendment says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." There are two parts to that sentence for a reason. It's saying the government should be kept out of religion and religion should be kept out of the government. When the government starts trying to pass Constitutional amendments based solely on religious views (such as the gay marriage ban), that's a law respecting the establishment of religion AND it prohibits the free exercise of religion for those with differing viewpoints. There is no legal or ethical reason for this bigotry. It's based entirely on some people's interpretation of the Bible, and therefore it's unconstitutional, period.

I'm straight as an arrow, by the way, but I believe in equal rights for everyone. A Constitutional amendment condoning prejudice against one minority would open the door for prejudice against others, and all of the concepts of freedom and equality on which this country was founded would be lost. There is NOTHING in the Constitution that was based on the Bible. This country was founded by people who came here to escape religious persecution and they wrote the First Amendment to prevent religion from being forced on people by the government as it was in England at the time.

Furthermore, the merging of religion with the government is an important element of fascism (see number 8 at the link below), which is the direction this country is headed if we don't get it back on track.

Answer 4

I'm glad you brought this issue to light. The separation of church and state is definitely under attack from the Christian right. What do these people want, for America to turn into another Taliban?? It's scary to think of the influence these people have right now and our only hope is for people to realize it exists and not let it continue. Gays should be allowed the same basic rights other human beings are afforded and while I support pro-choice I do not think it should be used as a means for birth control. Proven scientific concepts are also under attack and we should really make sure that Bible "stories" do not take the place of logical, hard evidence.

Answer 5

I have voted republican in the last 3 elections, however on social issues I agree with you. Religious zealots are morons that are incapable of thinking for them selves. The only reassurance I can offer you is that eventually these old terds will be dead and society will be free to change. By the way I think late term abortions are a crime.

Answer 6

Nope, its becoming a Plutocracy!


"Examples of such plutocracies include some city-states in Ancient Greece and the Italian merchant republics of Venice, Florence, and Genoa. Kevin Phillips, author and political stategist to U.S. President Richard Nixon, argues that the United States is a plutocracy in which there has been "the fusion of money and government""

Answer 7

I do not beleive in gay marriage or abortion but I do beleive in separation of church and state. Combination of the two is a receipe for disaster and it only leads to lots of crimes in the name of religion. History has proven that time and time again.
That is what is going on in this country right now! I am scared for the safety and well being of our country! We are hated worldwide!

Answer 8

I can argue based on pure logic. But I'd be arguing for your side.
No other developed country has such a large repressive religious movement like the fundamentalist right in America.
The whole western hemisphere laughs when we read about the creationist movement.

Answer 9

The Constitution was set up to keep government out of religion, not to keep religion out of government. If you read the Constitution, you will see that the federal government is not to make any law either for nor against religion. They are to be quiet on the subject of religion. This means that religion should be left to the states. Any power not delegated to the federal government rests with the states. If a state wants to read the Bible in classrooms, it is the state's perogative. The federal government is all about not making a law for religion, but they have it wrong in that they keep making laws against religion.

Answer 10

I can argue based on logic.

Abortion is another way of killing possibilities of life in the future...

if you have gray matter in ur head u would know that adults must know the consequences of certain action and stop opting for the easiest way out..

what if u were one of these possibilities and then were eliminated before u typed this stupid question at Y!Answers.