Islam? I mean no offense by the term minority. It's just that America is predominantly Christian. I just find it odd that they try to take God out of the pledge and Jesus out of Christmas, but will do seemingly anything to protect muslims practicing their religion.
...the imams on the plane that got booted off are a great example
2006-12-12 08:37:34 · 12 answers · asked by bc_munkee 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Nikki: judge not baby...I just don't like fundamentalist extremists...in any religion (or lack there of).
OK?!
2006-12-12 08:43:56 · update #1
The ACLU is opposed to any sort of religion being displayed or paid for with public money. Since it is only the Christians that are demanding that their religious icons be displayed in public schools, legislatures, and courthouses, it gives the appearance that they are opposed to Christianity, when in fact they are merely supporting the Bill of Rights and the Constitution with their clauses about freedom of religion and separation of church and state.
Demanding that everyone, regardless of religious belief, pledge allegiance to God is the very definition of a lack of freedom of religious expression and separation of church and state.
Demanding that everyone in a public school, regardless of their background or belief, participate in a Christmas celebration, or pay for Christmas decorations is offensive.
Demanding that everyone in a courthouse swear on a Bible, or using public money to put up displays of the Christian ten commandments should be a criminal offense.
The ACLU will defend your right to practice Christianity in your own home, church, or even on an airplane, but they rightly oppose the imposition of Christian pledges, icons and celebrations on people who are not Christian.
2006-12-12 08:48:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
God wasn't in the original version of the pledge which was, by the way, written by a baptist minister. Congress added that in the 1950's. The ACLU isn't taking Jesus out of Christmas. That's a myth perpetuated by the right. If a store decides to put up a sign that says "Seasons Greetings", that's a business decision and has nothing to do with the ACLU. The store has customers of different faiths so they erect secular, generic holiday signs. The period between Thanksgiving and New Years has always been called the holiday season. If a store erects a sign that says Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings they are not being anti Christmas.
Where the ACLU steps in is where a city or town is using public money to erect a religious symbol on public property. That is a violation of the first amendment. That doesn't prevent anyone from putting a nativity scene in their front yard, or a menorah, or even a crescent moon.
As far as the Imams are concerned, if all they were doing was praying and someone on the plane over reacted, then the ACLU should step in.
2006-12-12 08:59:15 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
You are mixing apples and oranges. (1) The pledge should be a statement that does not exclude any citizen, and as an atheist, I will not say it so long as the words "under God" are included. Would you say the pledge if it said "One nation, under Zeus and Hera?" (2) They are doing nothing about getting Jesus out of Christmas. They do want to have religious Christmas displays kept off of public property. Would you want to have tax-payers foot the bill for fireworks at the end of Ramadan? (3) The imams praying on the plane were quite simply not a threat. Would you want to have Christians put off a plane for praying?
All of these are civil rights issues, not religious ones.
2006-12-12 08:50:17 · answer #3 · answered by NHBaritone 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The imams were discriminated against because of who they were and how they looked. They were not trying to force their religion into a public place.
When ANY religious article is displayed on governmental property, except tasteful personal displays in a person's immediate work environment (which is protected by law), it can create the perception of endorsement.
I don't want city hall putting out the nativity. I do, however, hope every church will, because they SHOULD celebrate their messiah, even if I don't agree with it. I don't want city hall hanging a star and cresant, but I hope the mosques do. I don't want city hall displaying the menorah, but I hope the synagogues do. I don't want city hall holding a seance but I hope the spiritualists do.
In short -- I hope everyone could respect everyone else to have their religious expressions on display on their own turf, and leave the governmental grounds neutral safe haven, and leave my rights to display on my property and person as sacrosanct just as I leave their rights sacrosanct.
The ACLU would be trying to defend a christian who was kicked off an airplane just for wearing a cross as well. You just don't see that kind of discrimination happening all too often.
2006-12-12 08:45:41 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't! It wants the government out of a;l religion and all religion out of government, as per a little document called The Constitution of the United States. There is a very good reason for taking "under God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance. Some religions believe that God's name is too sacred to be uttered by mere humans.
2006-12-12 08:59:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You have your info all wrong. The person who tried to get rid of the pledge of allegiance was an atheist, not a Muslim.
Before you go spouting off at the mouth about who is doing what to whom. Won't you go and get the facts straight. Because obviously you don't know what your talking about.
Christians have the right to their religious beliefs and most Muslims have no prob with that.
I believe that if airports and other places with large numbers of people should respect every religous holiday. Be inclusive, have items out that represent everyones religous holiday. Not just one in particular.
As for what happened to the Imams, that is totally different. They were thrown off of the plane due to the ignorance of one passenger and it shouldn't have been allowed to have happened.
2006-12-12 08:50:56 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
The ACLU tries to protect the constitutional rights of everyone. Sometimes that means christians dont have the right to force their religion on everyone else, nor can they do it at public expense.
What's wrong with that?
2006-12-12 08:45:53 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes, for the reason that they're wimps for they realize that Conservative Christians would possibly not hunt them down or kill them. Why else could they wander in and make a mockery of church offerings? They are jealous too for the reason that it used to be talked about to them that Conservative Christians provide extra in their possess money and time to aid the deficient than do liberals. If any individual used to be to make the identical type of assaults on allow say Muslims you be they be outraged.
2016-09-03 17:32:32 · answer #8 · answered by shiva 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Might have a better understanding of what you are asking of you could cite a single example of the ACLU wanting "Christian religion out of everything".
2006-12-13 21:01:09 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
its called the double standard.
I once heard an ACLU imbecile lawyer argue that the San Fransisco seal needed to remove the cross, but when questioned about the name San Fransisco (Saint Francis) he replied "that has nothing to do with religion".
so realize they are not well known for their logic and reasoning.
2006-12-12 08:41:12 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋