yes, religious freedom, but our basis for freedom was christianity. shall we allow this disgrace to hinder the values we founded this country on?
2007-01-05 12:33:59 · 14 answers · asked by vascular1968 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
What if America found itself (as it probably will) in a life or death struggle with this newly emerged terror of the world (Islamic extremism)? I wonder whose side the guy would take when it came down to defending this country. I just wonder.
2007-01-05 12:44:23 · answer #1 · answered by Drowningbluestars 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
This country was not based on Christianity.
The founding fathers were actually very clear on that..
"Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law." - Jefferson
They were VERY clear about giving people the right to practice whatever religion they wanted. The very first amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Supreme Law of the land) reads:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."
Nor is our religious freedom, or basis for freedom, a consequence of Christianity. Christianity was decidedly intolerant at the time (As if it's any more tolerant now) with in-fighting even among different gangs of Christians. Sic them on a heretic and.. whoa baby!
"In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own." - Jefferson
Forcing a politician to swear in on the religious book of a single religion reeks of the preferential co-mingling of Church and State (prohibited). Let the man swear in the on Qur'an.
2007-01-05 14:50:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
How can you say that we were "founded on freedom of religion" but than say it is a disgrace to swear an oath of office on a Koran? As you said, this Country was founded on freedom of religion, but you are wrong to suggest that it was based on Christianity. It's true that the majority of Americans are Christian, but that doesn't mean that everyone swearing an oath of office must swear in on a Christian Bible or any other religious book for that matter. Personally, I feel that those swearing an Oath of Office to this Country should swear in on a copy of the Constitution of the United States. It is a much more powerful symbol for this Country than a Bible. And if Rep. Ellison was forced to swear in on a Bible, I would personally feel that his Oath wasn't as seriously taken as that isn't even his religioun. The idea of swearing in on a Bible is that as a Christian, to swear an oath with your hand on a Bible you are swearing that oath to not only those present but God as well. If a person doesn't believe in that faith, than what does the Bible do?
2007-01-05 12:51:52 · answer #3 · answered by Alex 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We will never "heal" until we learn to accept difference. In America before "christians" or puritans there were the native americans.
As a christian I would have been insulted if he took the oath on anything other than the quran. It was honest and I accept the fact that the religion I choose is not the only religion on earth. History...this country was not happy that John kennedy was catholic.
Let's move on....
2007-01-05 13:23:41 · answer #4 · answered by michelle m 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you celebrate halloween? Do you sing non-christian christmas carols? do you have a spell-checker?
First, it's the Quran [Koo-RAWN].
Secondly, the country was founded on PURITAN beliefs, separating themselves from the roman church, and they banned the singing of carols [Anti-Santa Claus, basically].
Now on to the matter.
If he CHOOSES to swear in on a collection of man written stories of his religious preference, he has the RIGHT, so would you if you had to be sworn in [I would be sworn in on something so out there, and say it's the way I believe if I ever had to act as witness or something, but it'd be true]. It's founded on religious freedom, and some of the founding fathers? Not all were christian at the time of writing the Bill of Rights.....Or the Bill of Lefts... ^_^;;; A little joke.
2007-01-05 12:42:19 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its all an excuse to create a fuss over a non-issue. The actual swearing in is conducted in mass with most Congressmembers not having their hand on anything. When they come out and put there hand on whatever book they choose it is just a photo-op with no legal significance.
2007-01-05 13:47:08 · answer #6 · answered by STEVEN F 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. international places are not depending. we've a tendency to assert colonies are depending, yet even it truly is not quite real, as there consistently were already human beings residing contained in the area earlier that. cities are depending. many times sufficient a city extremely is began from scratch, with merely the superb farm already status. america owes plenty to the Iroquois Confederacy... it isn't only a eu invented usa, yet a made from many cultures.
2016-12-01 21:34:37 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How would swearing on a bible compel a Muslim to be honest and forthright? A bible means nothing to then. Wouldn't a Koran be more appropriate and effective?
2007-01-05 12:39:02 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
The U.S. Constitution mentions God in it, but nothing about Jesus Christ as the redeemer for mankind, and well that is the gospel of the holy bible. So what values are you talking about? .
2007-01-05 12:55:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We're only "founded in Christianity" because that happened to be, by *coincidence,* the religion many of our founders followed. There was no plan to found it so - it's just what they knew.
2007-01-05 12:42:46 · answer #10 · answered by wheezer_april_4th_1966 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋