ten comandments in public?

Question

In the age where gaurds are placed infront of schools, AIDS is a world wide epidemic, andteen pregnancys are at an all time high; what do we have to lose? i know of the seperation of church and state and i wont argue the meaning of that although i believe its meaning has been slightly warped recently(not significatly but still...) how would it hurt atheists? i mean its like when atheists SUED to have cross MEMORIALS to state troopers who DIED IN THE LINE OF DUTY! that just makes me sick. so tell me, WHAT DO WE HAVE TO LOSE?

my point is that this just like cross memorials, doesnt heurt atheists and nonatheists, and islam believes in the ten comandments too. how is this going to forcibly indoctrin you? are you rally so feeble minded that just seeing one religious image will casue you to convert? what if we made them the 8 comandments and we just took out the sabath and one god? id be happy with that and how does that effectyour rights to disagree with them?

ive never heard of buddihst even asking for the seven fold path to be posted and what about the estanlishment of ceremonial footwashes for muslim students but a moment of silence is to much to ask

Answer 1

The ten commandments is a Christian thing. Unless you are prepared to erect symbols for all religions, it is best not done. This is a country of various religions, not just Christianity. If we make an exception for one group, we must make it for all groups. Are you prepared to do that?

Answer 2

Well first of all, posting the ten commandments all over the place is not going to be a panacea for all of our social ills.

Second, I have nothing against PRIVATE citizens or CHURCHES posting the commandments in their homes, oh their church marquees for all to see etc.

I have NO PROBLEM with students covering their books with ten commnandment book covers or wearing 10 commandment t-shirts.

I do have a problem with judges hauling two ton monuments onto government property under cover of night and illegally installing them, to further ther religios-political agenda,.

People who are in court have a right to a fair trial untainted by religious bigotry on the part of the judge. How can a non religious person feel they are getting a fair deal, when Judeo-Christian propogand is posted all over the courtroom.

Also, the 10 commandment zealots would NEVER let the Unitarian Universalists post their 7 principles or the the Buddhist post their 7 fold path, nor the Wiccans post their Charge of the Goddess. Since they are unwilling to share, why should THEY be the only people allowed to post THEIR religious dogma ?

At least FOUR of those laws concern the "correct" worship of the OT God. So don't hand me that jazz that the 10 commandments are the foundation of American law.

Well you might be partly right, in Colonial America, people were fined, whipped & burned for failing to attend church on the sabbath, kissing wives on Sunday or for blasphemy.

Thankfully, these archaic and barbaic remnamts of Christian domination are GONE, and I don't want to see them brought back.

As for the crosses for the state trooper, I have no problem with the FAMILIES of the troopers erecting a monument of THEIR choice, but for the GOVERNMENT to assume every fallen trooper is a Christian, and issue them a cross is not right. What if a Jewish trooper's family wanted a Star of David memorial ? Would that be OK ? What about a Wiccan fallen trooper having a pentagram, would that be OK ? I doubt it. Wiccans in the miliatary had to fight for TEN YEARS to get THEIR memorial symbol allowed, and it was ONLY after a threat of a lawsuit.

Most of those who scream for government placement of Christian symbols on governent property, also scream to keep symbols of every other religioun out.

Then they scream persecution.

I asked if blasphemy laws should be enforced here:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AkNuygSAhNW7V_nzg2mUiX_sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071124080230AAXNu5x
I'd be interested in YOUR answer.

If the government is going to POST religious laws, it is only one step away from enforcing them. I would hate to see the day when Cahtolics would be charged with idolatry for worhsippnig Mary, or non-theists would be jailed for failure to attend church.

BTW -- I didn't agree with the priveledge of footwashes given to Muslims, but that was not the government doing it. I still thought it was an unneccesary priveledge.

Answer 3

Okay , lets say that it's permissable for the Christian church to move in a twenty ton hunk of marble with the ten commandments .
Next week , the Jewish church demands an equal sized stone hip- hip- hurraying their religion . Then come the Muslims . They sure don't want to be left out . And the Shintoists , the Buddhists , the Hindus , the Zoroastrians , the new Satanists , and dozens of others .
You can't approve one religion , and not any other . We do not have a religious government . The Christian church in America may be bigger than any other , but legally it is equal to any and all of the others .

Answer 4

Would you prefer a Star of David or a Muslim Crescent to be erected in honor of these brave men? That would probably not please a whole lot of Americans. But there are Americans that pay taxes and are not Christian.

The point of the separation of church and state is that the State will not use taxpayer’s money to support a religious preference, nor will the state enact legislation supporting any one religion.

The founding fathers witnessed or were aware of what happened in England and other countries when Religion was allowed too much power over the government.

A friend of his once noted of Jefferson that he didn't oppose Christianity, just the "tyranny" different sects imposed on people. Part of that “tyranny” was influencing the government to suppress those with opposing Religious views.

In one of his lesser known writings. “Notes on Virginia”, Jefferson wrote: "Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burned, tortured, fined and imprisoned. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make half the world fools and half hypocrites; to support roguery and error all over the world."

Other founders such as Thomas Paine and Alexander Hamilton wrote extensively about the harm Government sponsored religion can inflict.

To answer your question, “What does it hurt?”, is to say that giving religion a toe hold over the functions of government can lead to catastrophic results. That’s already happening. Our government has what Bush calls “Faith based initiatives”. Basically, tax money is given religions for “charitable work”.

But look where this goes:

From the Americans United for the Separation of church and State, Feb 4, 2004

“Acting under a veto threat from the White House, the U.S. House of Representatives today voted for provisions in a social services bill that allow religiously based job discrimination in publicly funded programs run by churches.”

“Several representatives offered three amendments to the Community Services Block Grants Act (H.R. 3030) that would have required "faith-based" agencies that receive federal dollars to abide by civil rights laws and to ensure that their programs are run in a secular manner. Those amendments were defeated, in votes generally following party lines.”

So, we are funding Religious activities and allowing the Religions we give tax money to, to violate civil rights laws.
I would ask you, “What does that hurt”? The answer is obvious. Our President is running roughshod over the Constitution and a whole list of other laws. He is in violation of his sworn duty to uphold the Constitution. It starts out small, my friend and snowballs.

That is the Atheist’s point. The small stuff is equally unconstitutional. I’m sure they meant no dishonor to those heroes.

The families of the fallen, can under the Constitution erect whatever monument they want, with their own or privately donated funds.

I would say I have answered the questions of the public display and tax funded Ten Commandment monument.

I am not an Atheist, I am a Deist, I believe in a God, Intelligent Design, not religion. I am not a Christian. I am a conservative and a Republican and I voted for Bush twice. I emailed him my displeasure with the faith based crap.

We trample the constitution when we use tax money, in any fashion to support, in any way, any Religion.

isnrblogdotcalm

Answer 5

Well, if you want the 10 Commandments up, I'm agreeable.

However, I'm only agreeable if below them, we put a copy of the 8 Fold Path, to the Left, we put the Five Pillars of Islam, to the Right, we put the Wiccan Reed, above we put the Eleven Satanic Rules.

Do you want the Satanic Rules posted with your 10 Commandments?

What do we have to lose? Mutual respect for differing opinions and viewpoints.

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Having Christian symbols on government property hurts every patriot of the United States.

That's why they should be banned with all other religious symbols, or, be all inclusive of other religious symbols.

For example -- military cemeteries should allow any and all symbols, or none at all. Currently, I could not have an atheist symbol or a Flying Spaghetti Monster symbol put on my grave stone were I buried in a military cemetery. Thus, no religion at ALL should be allowed to post their symbols. Failing that, the list of 'approved' symbols should be abolished and any person should be free to have any one symbol etched onto their stone as directed by their will or heirs.

Men and Women have died for the Bill of Rights.

When we allow infringements of the Bill of Rights, we piss on their sacrifice.

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Moments of silence are pretty nonreligious. They are a poorly veiled excuse for public, if silent, prayer, but I can tolerate a moment of silence since it is not overtly religious nor espouses a specific religious doctrine.

Answer 6

We really have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Wouldn't the atheists be totally freaked if the man made and changeable Supreme Court ever took notice that the so called establishment clause says, "CONGRESS shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,". Sounds like it only means CONGRESS to me.

Answer 7

The world is a sick place, my friend. The best way I've learned to deal with all the crap going on is to not even pay attention to it. I let other people think what they want and live how they want. I do my own thing. I know it's hard to comprehend other people's actions but maybe the best thing to do is to just go on about your own business b/c all the stupid people will get theirs in the end!

Answer 8

Go read up on the Inquisition, the crusades and the Holy Roman Empire at it's peak. Then start visiting Muslim countries that are run by clerics.

States run by religious fanatics are the most destructive, oppressive and exploitative of any found in history.

Answer 9

18 “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 20 And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.
22 “For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do—to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him— 23 then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves. 24 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, even to the Western Sea,[c] shall be your territory. 25 No man shall be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put the dread of you and the fear of you upon all the land where you tread, just as He has said to you.
26 “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today; 28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.

Answer 10

Really... so its ok if we post the Wiccan laws all over the place? Its ok if we start posting things from the Buddhism?

No? Then knock it off. You're being told that you aren't going to be favored any more. You are being told that you have to learn to bloody deal with being treated just like everyone else.

Oh how horrible it must be for you to stop being favored. Grow up.