Question for Christians & Non-Believers?

Question

Each year around Christmas our country has a national debate on religious symbols in public places, court house lawns, public building, streets etc.

Right, are you with me so far?

We have this debate because one side says Jewish/Christian that they should be allowed to display their values and beliefs, and point to a long history and view points of the founding fathers etc.

The other side points to seperation of Church & State and a need to keep one's values & beliefs to themselves in the privacy of their own home or property. They are offended by these displayes.

My question is this: Why is there no outrage for Gay-Pride Parade's taking place on our public streets each year. Drag-Queens prancing around in lude sexual perverion in full view of children (as we just had). This offends me and it's all being done on "PUBLIC HELD" property. It's all constitutionally protected.

Baby Jesus vs. The Drag-Queens

explain to me the difference?

honest answers only please

NOTE: I mean NO offence to ANYONE...I think it's an interesting debate

Answer 1

You gotta good point there and you didn't carry it far enough. The Million Man March of Ferrikahn, St. Patricks day, Macy's Day, Santa Claus Lane Parade, even FLAG day. Who is to say you HAVE to be proud of a specific flag.

It is said NYC has a parade a week.

This is in public view, using public land and it's about a PRIVATE point of view.

Not everyone is IRsh, German, ARmenian, Italian, MExican, Gay, Femminsit, Communist, Socialist

Why should we all get exposed to this stuff!

You're point is very valid and shows the bias and bigotry of Atheists, mostly.

Whenever JEwish people complain government offers them space to put up a Star of David, a Mehorrah, etc.

Answer 2

I don't understand it either. Separation of chuch & state is not in the constitution at all. Here is what the Consitiution actually says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Where someone gets the idea that religious symbols cannot be displayed on public property is a big stretch. Putting up a display is far from establishing a state religion. How separation of chuch & state came from this is an even farther stretch. Even when they were discussing the Constitution, I believe it was Ben Franklin said we need the help of God in these decisions and he proposed that prayer open the meetings. This was approved which is why each session of Congress is opened with a prayer. They must have studied some other language & history to come up with their ideas.

Answer 3

Surely, one is a religious issue, the other secular?

On the one hand, if religion and state are separate, then is is right to appear to link the two by the display of religious symbols?

Gay pride on the other hand is a matter of minority rights, not a religious issue. And minority rights are presumably protected by law?

Since I am in England and it's along time since I studied your Constitution I can't advise you there.

But we recently had a similar discussion here about the legal requirement to offer 'goods and services' to all, irrespective of sexual orientation. This was fine until religious adoption agencies realised they would have to offer gay couples the same opportunities as heterosexuals.

While it is still being debated, the general view was that if the law says you shouldn't discriminate against a particular group, then if you do so it will be illegal. Irrespective of whether your grounds for discrimination were theological belief or bigotry.

That's a secular society for you. Does that help?
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Answer 4

The big thing is that displays are generally allowed, as long as the religious aspects are left out. I don't have a problem with it as long as NO tax money is involved.

Now if you are going to allow a Christian display, you have to be ready for EVERY religious group to put what ever display they want. When the Church of Satan wants to put a giant inflatable demon on the grounds, you have to let them. This is precisely why Cincinnati had to allow the KKK to display a cross in the main square for several weeks. Most cities just don't allow it at all so that they don't get in the middle of this.

A gay pride parade is not a fixed display. That puts it into the area of a protest and that is pretty hard to limit period. You have the Constitutional right to peacefully assemble and protest and yes that leads to the KKK doing it too.

Answer 5

The difference between the two has to do with whether it appears that the government of the nation/state/community is sponsoring that religion or group, and whether it appears that the government is attempting to suppress other groups.

There is a large Christian population in the U.S. for example, so many in fact that quite often communities of religious minorities Jews or Muslims to find any opportunity to express their religious views. Furthermore, there are enough Christians in government that it's very easy for it to appear that the government supports Christianity by that fact alone.

So providing an opportunity for minority groups whether they be minority religions like Jewish and Muslim groups as well as groups formed to support causes like Gay Pride or white supremacy allows them some access to the public square.

It is true that at some point one has the right not to see certain things, but there is no real abridgement of this right in these cases. One can simply go somplace else for the duration of the display.

It's worth noting that it's not factually correct that there's no outrage over gay pride events. One simply has to google the words "gay pride counter" and one finds many news stories on counter protests all over the world in reaction to gay pride events.

Also, the "lewd perversion" you describe is in reality attributable only to a small, dwindling and aging minority of homosexuals who came out very early in the gay movement when expressing homosexual behavior in any form was suppressed and extreme or "campy" behavior was done as a form of social protest. To ascribe this behavior to all homosexuals would be making an error in logic similar to assuming that every religious person in the U.S. has bombed an abortion clinic.

Answer 6

first of all, there is plenty of outrage at gay pride parades but it only comes from the religious right. the main stream media will NEVER give anything but a positive view of these 'spectacles' for fear of being politically incorrect and offending a major force in the democrat party, the gay and lesbian lobby! on the flip side, it has become de riguer to bash christians and their 'faith' and this is, in my opinion, a concerted effort by the left in this country to bring down the catholic church. they disguise this effort by wrapping it up in the first amendment, but simply displaying christian symbols on public property is in no way a sign that the government is endorsing the christian religion. in order to eradicate all religions, you first have to knock off the biggest and baddest of the bunch, and christianity is that in this country. unfortunately for the religious, the powers that are aligned against them have all the legal clout and standing needed to win this battle. it is just a matter of time...

Answer 7

OK. "Drag-Queens prancing around in lude sexual perverion in full view of children" is a sentence filled with both bigotry and spelling errors. It's "Lewd", "Perversion" and the thing is neither. Quit being a homophobe.

As for the rest, personally I am a slacker, so I am in favor of celebrating ALL of the religious holidays. Bring out your crosses and pentagrams and menorahs and everything you care to drag along, as long as I get a couple of days off.

But remember: next to christianity your streets will be filled with muslim, satanist, hindu, african, chinese and all kinds of religious symbols. You won't mind, right?

Answer 8

You were doing good until you insulted gay people. People don't get upset over gay people, because there is nothing wrong with them! The comparison of religious symbols in public and gay people in public is not right.
So you want the difference between baby Jesus and drag queens?

Baby Jesus - is a religious symbol and not everybody believes in Christianity and shouldn't be forced to do so. I have no problem at all with Christians symbols in public, just as long as other people with different religions have the right to do so too.

Drag queens are human beings. What gives anybody the right to tell them that they can't be who they are? That is a violation of human rights. No ifs or buts. Nobody has the right to tell other people how to live unless they are committing a crime. Drag queens, gays, lesbians and transgender people aren't hurting anybody.

We live in a country where you have the right to be who you are. Don't take away the rights of human beings. Telling people how to live is a direct violation of human rights.

Answer 9

It should all be banned, the displays of religous symbols and the gay-pride parades should be banned. If not one year we will have beatiality parades etc. You cant even walk with an open can of beer in some cities but you can prance around as a drag queen infront of children doing perverted sexual displays. England is going mad...thats why I left.

Answer 10

As a Christian citisen of this great country, I feel that EVERY religion should freely display their religious symbols on their festival days not just Christians and Jews The while point of Church/ State separation is that the government can't esteem one as better than the others.