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Public Religious Freedom7 Signatures
Description:Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.... The purpose of this petition is to support public/personal religious freedom. Modern politics and rulings from judges have encroached upon religious freedom by declaring what can be spoken and not spoken. Laws are created that prevent orthodox views from being exercised. One such situation that comes to mind is legal abortion. The law does not force anyone to have an abortion, but certainly infringes upon the religious belief in the sanctity of life, and further encourages programs that perform abortions through federal funding. Another example is political correctness, which is a communist view that discourages the free exercise of belief and speech. Therefore, any objection or speech against, say homosexuality; is automatically termed homophobia. It does not matter that homosexuality is not righteous or good for a civilized society; yet my belief aside......my point is that an individual is discouraged from expressing it! Finally, this idea of the "seperation of church and state" is crazy considering the words that I began with. How do you separate your religious views, which you hold close to your heart from the life that you live. In other words, your life should reflect what you believe! Even if you are involved in politics! Please express your views concerning ways that our government has interfered with the free exercise of religion. Loading People... |
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We are taxed to the teeth!
We are not allowed to pray in school!!
We are always being handed laws that cost us more and more money!
We are told that religion is not allowed!!
Religion is bad!
God is a theory and is not allowed
The old saying goes its not what you say, it what you do. Has america relly lived up to its creed of all men being created equal with civil liberties and justice for all. Has it applied democracy to its ciitzen in fairness of not only equall protection of the law by equal use of civil law. Go to you choose.net and scroll to no quota arrest. Pray about it then you choose.
People should be free to express themselves in a friendly way and be free to a limited extent we don't want people creatating havic,violence of a sort etc.
I feel that religion should be a freedom for everyone, no matter what you believe. I feel that the only time a line should be drawn is when someone is tearing apart another religion or individual for what they do or don't believe. I am a christian woman and I speak to a few people on a daily basis that are anything BUT christian -a few wiccansanda few satanists to be exact.They maynot have the same views as I do, but that's their choice. It makes them no less of a person than I am.They are some of the nicest peole I know, reguardless of their beliefs!
We all have the right to express ourselves. What we don't have the right to do is put someone down in the process. There are many things that I don't agree with but that doesn't give me the right to say it's wrong. It's just not right for me.
I don't claim the right to say anything is wrong; but I do claim the right to say "what God says is wrong." And I think God has that right, being the Creator of the Universe.
The false religion of the Atheist nuts have terrorized and murdered millions for thousands of years -- whether murdering unborn babies, ethnic Jews, Christians in Africa, or other innocent and vulnerable people throughout history. But Judgment Day is coming for those who hate God and their fellow Man: Repent ye, and believe the Gospel! John 3:16, KJV.
And Christians have killed many groups to including Pagans, Jews, their own people, babies, children and many more too.... So you really shouldn't try to pull that one. Every religion and race have been cruel and killed other groups.
konton=fun
You religious nuts and your "God" are great at terrorizing and murdering your fellow humans.However soon the tables will be turned and you and your so called "God" will be dealt justice once and for all. Atheism is the truth. Atheism is the future.Atheism can stop the holy wars. Atheism will be the salvation of this world.
Atheism implies no law. I agree that atheism is the future because things are getting worse before they are getting better. In other words, the Bible says, it is appointed once for a man to die, then judgment. But, to say that atheism can stop wars and will be salvation is ridiculous; because where there is no law there is chaos. Atheism looks to itself instead of loving others.
Look Nevin, you're not acting much better than the people you criticize. My thing is; you do whats right for you and I will too (Yay I rhymed). Its nice when people want to spread their religion it just get bad when people try to force their religion on others. Note I am not saying you are forcing your religion on others, Im making a general statement. That is why when I take over the world, you can be any religion you want as long as you dont tell someone else they're wrong for their beliefs. There will always be many religions in this world the trick is for everyone to be able to look past religion gender and race and deal with eachother as people. Do not hate them because they are Christian, hate them for who they are inside. Thats what I feel is right.
Allowing others to have abortions does not encroach on your religious beliefs. Granted, I don't like the idea of abortion myself, but your argument doesn't make sense. Further, homosexuality in no way harms you. If you don't like homosexuality, that's fine. But if it's a sin, which all sins are equal in the eyes of God, you have no higher ground to stand upon, because everyone "sins". There are so many bigger things that one could advocate against or volunteering that one could do that this all seems a bit silly.
Others are allowed those abortions because I have to pay taxes for the government that pays for them. I have to obey the law; which means I am forced to pay for an abortion that is against my religious beliefs. The government should make no law that violates those beliefs.
Also, religion is on it's back heels these days. The free exercise clause never was intended as a weapon against the church 'a wall of seperation'..baloney. The law was intended to prevent interference from the state into church affairs. I am being more pro-active by arguing for the 'free exercise' of the church.
More specifically, if the government makes laws that support beliefs that are against my religion then they are not allowing the free exercise of my religion. By the way, it is the same religion that the country was founded on. So when we begin to take a direction that is contrary to the country's founding; it makes things even worse. The law says, do not prohibit the free exercise of (Christianity). we have these laws because they are 'endowed by our Creator' yet everybody would rather do their own thing than support the authority of their God-ordained Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Everybody is arguing for their freedom today instead of what was given them to live under. They want the rights that are afforded them; but they do not want the God that has given them those rights.
You make an excellent point. For example, the problem goes further than that in some places. Political Correctness has infected the church so much in the denomination I belong to that speaking out against homosexual marriage being being blessed by the church is considered to be homophobia and can get you thrown out of the church. But a few Bishops in the Epicopal church feel they know more than the word of God.
The Bible could not be more clear. Adultery is a sexual sin. Homosexuality is a sexual sin. Added to this up to a certain time homosexuality was considered to be by the Psychiatry profession as a psychological disorder and like any other psychological disorder it was studied and evaluated. But because of political correctness all those scientific studies have been branded as homophobia in disguise. Nothing like destroying the evidence, if it was biased then that bias would show up and should be debated out in the open. Saying the studies can no longer be published or researched persued is the thin edge of the wedge of fascism or communism -- the regulation of all speech by the state.
Where does it stop, is pedophilia soon to be a natural phenomenon and legitimized because of political correctness.
What disturbs me more is that the other side considers that it is the only side that has the right to speak their views in public, which the petitioner pointed out quite well. It is also is unconstitutional for political correctness speech laws to be passed that prevent people from speaking their political views if they are based on their religious beliefs. The framers of the Constitution envistioned seperation of church from state, which means that the state can not interfere in the church and the state shall not adopt an official religion, but today it is interpreted that the Church can not speak out on political issues. The State has also instituted an official religion -- political correctness.
Your correct, I would have a problem with a state run church, or official religion; but you have made my point by not emphasizing the problem of the other half of the freedom. ...."prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." The emphasis is always on prohibiting religion and not the free exercise of it! Further, the topics of gay rights and abortion do not have to be far removed from religion; because religion is: "how you live, based on what you believe." Politicians that attempt to separate their religion from their decision-making process are catering to the crowd and not being honest. My religion dictates how I live. When a state makes legal what is against God's law....such as murder (abortion); or unnatural relations (homosexual acts)...that lead to all kinds of societal problems, by the way..... then the ability for me to exercise my freedom of religion is infringed upon. When emphasis is given to 'separation' and not to 'free exercise' then the separation limits freedom. Or separation is more closely discrimination? Further, although I want free exercise; freedom has responsibility. We don't yell fire in movie theatre because people may be hurt trying to evacuate; ...and then claim free speech? Finally, to make the point even further...what is hate speech? I expect that some would say that I cannot say anything about homosexuals or abortionists because it is not politically correct? In fact, maybe I should talk about that in the appropriate forum? People have made topics taboo as they wrestle to make their point and eliminate the opposition. ie.) the Fairness Doctrine attempts to make conservative talk shows pay for time to allow opposing viewpoints to respond to their content or face a stiff financial penalty. How many would stay in business under these rules. Simply a ploy by some to silence their opponents! What's worse, ones who would argue for homosexuality and abortion always argue how it is "good" so others will accept it like it is normal. Yet, any person who has any goodness in their heart sees it as it is...pure evil. The human mind can rationalize several ways to kill a baby, but it is never truthfully right.
you are walking proof as to exactly why there is a crowbar between religion and government.
I'm a gay man. In what way am I 'pure evil'? Most people I know regard me as polite, kind, hardworking, generous. and very helpful to my students and colleagues. I have never raped anyone, or killed anyone, or started a war, or spoken out in favour of apartheid, or poisoned a reservoir, nor do I intend doing any of these things. Irresponsibly throwing out phrases like 'pure evil' is the sort of thing that leads to Nazism and concentration camps.
I am not specifically referring to you as a person, but a behavior that is wrong. Homosexual acts are specifically 'pure evil' because God hates them and God is the person who determines what is righteous. If you perform homosexual acts, then it follows that you sin. I will not be able to exhaustively give you a complete belief idea here (and that was not the intent of this petition); but simply put... First, God created them male and female. It follows that it is unnatural and unintended for relations any other way. Secondly, Sodom and Gomorrah was judged by God for such behavior and destroyed. It follows that natural judgement and possibly future judgement would be the result. Third, in Corinthians 6:4 it says, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?.... , nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders," Now, certainly...what we have from God's Word seems to be against such activity. Finally, although I prefer to live my life by God's Word; you can completely ignore it. It does not bother me that you would say you are homosexual. What bothers me is your eternal destiny. You state that you never raped anyone, or killed anyone, or started a war.... BUT this is your standard of life, not God's standard! He would hold you to a much higher way of life.... Think about the ten commandments, have you lied, or stolen? Murder is defined by God as even hating your brother. Have you hated another person? The standard that God sets is perfection. Therefore, the only way that God can save a man is if he believes in His One and Only Son Jesus; who died in the place for all people..because all people are sinners...even me! I do not make these rules and neither do I so much enforce them...but God, being 'just' and 'holy' certainly will! In other words, "most people" are not the criteria of our ethics. You can have as many people as you want affirm that homosexual activity is just great; but that doesn't make it righteous in God's sight. Lastly, I don't throw anything out irresponsibly! Nazism and concentration camps were began not by Christian people who uphold his Word, but by people who truly are evil.
Its not very fair to say what he is is wrong. You can force someone to love someone else and expect everything to be peachy keen. I understand where you come from but for a God who is so loving, understanding and forgiving he sure does hate alot of people and see them as sinners, which is in lamest terms a bad person. It seems he is only loving with those who go with what he wants and everyone else is shucks out of luck.
On a different note... Do you think people who do not believe in God are evil and horrible people?
First, it is not what he "is." He was created to be a man, and has plumbing which would affirm that(i would surmise). Without being childish, the point would be that the plumbing was created to work a certain way. Secondly, God does not condemn people because they do not believe in Jesus. He condemns them because they break the law. Is God a moral lawgiver? Yes! Does he have a right to give a law? Yes! Is he responsible for those who do not abide by His Law? NO! Men have made a free choice to break God's law; which hurts not only a God who loves all people, but hurts other people as well. And, that is one reason he made a law...so that we could have the very best!....not so he could be the kill-joy. In summary, I believe that people who do not believe in God are evil and horrible; but I also believe that of those who do believe in God too! The only reason anyone is saved is because of God's grace and mercy when people do break the law. Saved people realize this and accept Christ Jesus as their only hope of salvation.
Those who do not believe in him are breaking his law; therefore he does not like people who do not believe in him. You think I'm an evil and horrible person?
But I respect you views and I don’t think it would be right to debate with you about your religion. I was Christian but it didn’t quite fit me.
konton=fun
This petition is rather confused, but as far as an absolute right to freedom of speech goes, I would support you. I don't think there should be laws or prohibitions against 'hate speech', because hate speech undermines itself by being nonsensical.
However, I do think the American constitution is right in separating religion and government. 'No law respecting an establishment of religion' means no official religion. I'm sure the petitioner would not be happy if Catholicism was declared the official religion of the US. And the second clause means that everyone has the right to be religious, if they want to, including when they vote. So I don't really see the problem.
If you want to express your opinion against gay rights or abortion, there are several forums on this website where you can do this. But be prepared to be argued with!
Well said Andrew, nice to see it covered so well.