Posted by M. Wright | Filed in: Church State
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (AU) is a bogus political action group that fails to acknowledge the deep religious faith of our founders, ignores their reliance on prayer and their frequent invocations of our Creator, and avoids mentioning their belief in divine providence. Instead, the group latches onto a few select quotes and phrases, striped from their context and redefined, in order to advance an anti-Christian agenda (though they claim to be Christians themselves).
AU and its allies are constantly filing lawsuits to prevent graduates from praying, to strip courthouses and public buildings of Christian symbols and messages, and to remove any mention of God from our national seals, flags, names, pledges, monuments and currency. And though our nation has a long history of public devotion to God through prayer, AU does its best to prevent politicians and candidates from talking about their faith, seeking God’s guidance or encouraging the nation to pray.
So it is astounding, if not humorous, to find AU complaining today about the actions of three people who disrupted a prayer.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State today deplored the disruption by Religious Right activists of a Hindu chaplain’s prayer to open the U.S. Senate.
“This shows the intolerance of many Religious Right activists,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. “They say they want more religion in the public square, but it’s clear they mean only their religion.
So when is it necessary to disrupt prayer, and when is it deplorable?
According to AU, it is always necessary to disrupt prayer, especially Christian prayer, unless the disruption allows AU and its Secular Left allies to paint the entire Religious Right movement as intolerant and deplorable; in those cases alone do our God-given and Constitutionally-protected freedoms of speech and religion remain viable.
July 12th, 2007 at 11:50 am
AMEN! The forefathers of our country never intended to take God out of our country as shown by “In God we trust” on the money, references to God in many, many eary historical documents and documented speeches…their intent was that no one religion would ever be forced on anyone (ex. - The Church of England) NOT that God and prayer would be competely removed from our schools and everyday lives.
July 12th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
“shown by “In God We Trust” on the money.”
There has always been a weird irony to that dusty old proof.
And many an athiest, agnostic, diest etc. has called on god in speech and writing as part of a common vernacular.
Certainly, the founders intended freedom both of and from religion. The constitution is the only proof you need. Bringing Mammon into the picture is comical, sure, but it does the point no justice.
We all have freedom of expression, but when I express my displeasure with a neighbor by following him around all day telling him he’s going to go to hell, he also has the right to take out a restraining order.
An artist may hang a vulgar photo in a gallery, as it’s given as an option. Installing a pornographic sculpture in front of a school would rightfully be met with resistance.
So too, there is a place for prayer. The constitution protects your right to it, as it protects me from it.
That’s the trick of rights and freedoms. In no case are they unlimited. Religious libertinism is still libertinism.
And that’s my piece.
July 24th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
The Constitution only protects you ‘from’ prayer and religion by not allowing the government to force you into any particular religion, I.E. The Church of England. The U.S. was founded on religious freedom, but a close examination of the ‘whys’ of this founding will show that our forefathers left England so the could freely practice Christianity. They thought enough of religious freedom to allow other religions to be practiced under the new government, but nowhere does it say the government should be void of any religious references. At the time of this country’s founding it was (and still is) a large majority Christian nation. I am free to dissent, but if I am in the minority, I have no right to insist that the majority around me change to fit my needs. I am free to find like minded people to associate and worship (or not) with. The only requirement the government has is to treat me just like they would anyone else when it comes to services and the application of the law. I have no right NOT to be offended by the beliefs of the majority.