Examples:
No prayer in schools. (Because someone was offended)
Remove the Ten Commandments from our courthouses. (Because someone was offended)
Change the history of America by leaving God out of it. (Because someone was offended)
Change our holidays:
Christmas Vacation is now a Winter break.
And "Seasons Greetings" instead of "Merry Christmas"
(Because someone was offended)
2006-11-16 03:43:57 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
The United States of America is a Republic.
Therefore the needs of the many and few are appointed by an overpaid council of power-mad men and feminist women.
2006-11-16 03:45:54 · answer #1 · answered by tichothewolf 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, America is still a democracy. Your question illustrates VERY clearly that you do not understand what a "democracy" is.
Prayer in school, the ten commandments and the Christmas holiday issue were all addressed because they violate the Constitution, not democracy!
Democracy means one person. one vote, or "government by referendum". America is not a democracy, it is a democratic republic. This means that you democratically elect representatives to decide and govern on your behalf. This is critical, and works infinitely better than real "democracy", in which it would be entirely feasible for the population to vote themselves a weekly 10% pay raise. Not a recipe for success!
(PS "Christmas" is just Saturnalia, a pagan festival, in disguise. 'Christ' was probably born in September or October. God was always part of American history, just not the "Christian God" of the 1990s and 2000s, the founders were mostly Deists, and if we based our laws on the 10 Commandments, the economy would collapse. Clearly, murder is wrong, and so is stealing, but do you really want a law that punishes you for covetousness? Or greed? Or lust? Or envy? How will you get customers for YOUR business?)
2006-11-16 03:56:38 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Actually, America is has a Constitutional Republican government. Such a government seeks to seek the will of the people but also desires to the protect the rights of the minority.
As for your first two examples, those thing violate the doctrine of the separation of church and state. Both of them, depending on the context, has been ruled by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional.
Your third example is pretty vague.
The last one is simply a marketing strategy. Businesses believe that they'll offend less people and thus get more business.
2006-11-16 03:48:21 · answer #3 · answered by empathy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Here's the thing.
This country was founded with freedom of religion and separation of Church and state in mind.
Organized prayer should not be allowed in public schools.
The Ten Commandments have no place in a courthouse.
Winter break and seasons greetings are both good replacements. Why should Christians dominate the terminology?
No one is changing your holidays....as incidentally the Christians did to the pagans by adopting Christmas as their own.
2006-11-16 03:49:40 · answer #4 · answered by Barrett G 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Democracy is not just about the whim of a majority, but about encouraging a diversity of opinions that will in turn make the democracy stronger.
Removing the religious icons of a religion not everyone follows is just common sense (or should be).
PS no one's changing history any more than at any other time. I know some people are pretending that suporters of separation of church and state want to do that, but it ain't so.
2006-11-16 03:48:30 · answer #5 · answered by kent_shakespear 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is still a democracy. We have tried to bend over backwards to everyone because we are a much "happier society" than other countries. I think that is how England has lost some of their clout is because they are trying to conform to anyone and everyone and now they are not as strong of a European nation as the others. We need to get back to the basics because we are losing respect.
2006-11-16 03:55:09 · answer #6 · answered by Chimes 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
America never was a democracy. It is a federal republic. This means that the wishes of the majority are tended to through elected officials.
2006-11-16 03:45:48 · answer #7 · answered by Doug k 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That's the idea behind a democracy.
One day Muslims may be 51% of the country and YOU won't have to say Praise Allah, because the minority is defended.
The idea behind the judicial system (and it don't always work right) is to let 100 criminals go rather than punish ONE innocent person.
2006-11-16 03:47:52 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Actually, having all those things was bending to the demands of a few, rather than having things appropriate for everyone.
If you want to keep the government out of religion you have to keep religion out of government. There's no other way to do it.
2006-11-16 03:47:32 · answer #9 · answered by John's Secret Identity™ 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
With Bush as a president... don´t hope nothig good!
2006-11-16 03:45:51 · answer #10 · answered by Pedro M 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋