The Issue!
Historical Perspectives:
They have always been mostly separate in America!
Only a few of the early colonies had established religions from their founders.
This is one of the many false issues created from the political Left!
It is false because of many things. Leftists have their own religion—their god is their own power! Many of the ancient gods were about this. The idols were political power-focusers.
Christian governments also did this. Catholics and Protestants did this for 100 years in Europe.
That is the very source for our American separation! It is in the American philosophy, not the Constitution!
The reflection of our philosophy is in the First Amendment of the Constitution. It would have been better if they had stated it more clearly in its own Amendment! Freedom of assembly for any purpose was the primary concern. Freedom of speech also was part of it. The purpose was proper communication.
I would prefer something like:
“While the United States of America’s laws have been built and understood with a Judeo-Christian ethic set, i.e. Biblical “natural law”, our citizens are free to worship any religion that they may choose.
It is required that human sacrifices are illegal, whether adult or child! Coercive proselytizing of any religion is not allowed but peaceful proselytizing and evangelism is allowed. All people should be able to offer others their religion but there should be no force involved in it.
The Federal Government may not support one religion only (established religion) or not allow religions that live within the laws of our land.
Denominations, sects or religious groups that disagree with these views should not be encouraged to gather in this nation.
No Bill of Rights must be construed to limit freedom of religion or assembly for religious purposes in this nation except that of maintaining reasonable peace and safety for all our citizens.” (“Reasonable” may have to be defined!)
Any safety valves that law may present can be subject to lawyers and judges to pervert. This must be severely discouraged. To regulate it all is dangerous to freedom, as the founders understood. But to record a requirement for reasonable, sensible care might be helpful. The legal view that law is what lawyers and judges may say it is, that is a dangerous view that some justices in the Supreme Court have held over the years! (Charles Evans Hughes, 1906 speech)
Our laws are created by our Congress, tested by the Supreme Court for Constitutionality and enforced by our Executive Department.
(The Executive Bureaucracy is not provided in its over-reaching present form and is completely out of control!)
These are important distinctions that must be appreciated. We are subject to the requirements of our governments only to the degree that those requirements remain in the peace and safety realm. They may not be stretched totally into all areas of our nation as they did with the covid pandemic! Our laws must remain within clear limits or there will be no limits to ultimate dictatorship as has been proven over history in this human world!
It would have been better if the First Amendment had been made into two separate ones, one for freedom of religion and one for freedom of assembly and free speech. While all of them go together for society, we have seen how they can be perverted. The Bill of Rights also needs clauses that express that these freedoms may not be regulated away because they are
GOD-given to all humankind. That is what the terms “natural law” mean. This is what “inalienable” or “unalienable” mean. Human rights are granted by GOD, not any human government. Governments only tend to limit or take them away, not protect them.
Today’s definitions of rights do not consider very much the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution with the Bill of Rights, the Federalist Papers or the Political Sermons of the American Founding Era! Most of us need some education or re-education!
Today this is a necessary set of discussions! It is not only politics but also legal philosophy!
Christianity and Judaism are roadblocks to many of today’s power political types. That is what this is all about! Other religions share some of these same views.
The founders considered that free people would always discuss these things! Where have we gone?
This is one of my meditations and themes for the last several years. It is like a unfathomable, universe-wide subject. This is a good starting discussion of this subject. It is packed with meaning.
Humans are made in GOD’s Image and HIS likeness.
That Image in humans is this: our individual spirit & attributes.
The reason is so that we can relate to HIM. Our excuse that GOD isn’t human and a figment of our imagination is totally destroyed by Jesus. Freedom is in this discussion.
GOD created humans to be able to relate to HIM. Jesus came to be our individual, sinless Lamb of sacrifice. He will come again as the Messiah that the Jews are expecting but it will be to return believers (all those who have chosen to believe forever) to the Eden relationship with GOD. {The Biblical book of Leviticus is what perfect obedience would look like.
I finally understand its meaning and use.}
What GOD and a human creates are reflections of themselves. They are alike enough for the ...
(updated 5/24/2023 je)
While it is humanly impossible for humans to be totally good, we always can do much better than we have been doing if we individually want to do so! There is no concept that humans can totally achieve in this life. This applies individually, in groups or collectively.
The pathologies of today’s culture are apparent. However, they are called benefits & loudly proclaimed. They must be clearly seen as dangerous & wrong to our once-free country!
They are deliberately destroying Christianity, our country, our families, our individual personhood & our individual freedoms. Does this seem to be too extreme a statement?
Our media are calling evil “good” & good “evil”. Should that be totally right & silently allowed? Free speech & opinions must not live there? Freedom of speech is not absolute. This severe problem should be curtailed & limited within the proper bounds & situations!
Is it possible or allowed to seek those limits that do not destroy freedom of speech itself?
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I do not support ANY, ANY political personality cults!!!! Left, Right, middle, it doesn’t matter! If you take the political part out, it is still so! Is this clear enough? I don’t support cultish “groupyism”!
My expectation is that any American who wishes to serve America in a political office would speak and act in support of our cherished American principles that are reflected in the best writings of our founders and all sensible people since then!
I am disgusted by the pragmatic politics and the excessive partisanship that the media love, especially for Democrats, it seems. I am disgusted with the pro-to-total leftism in our media. They do not represent thinking, peaceful citizens’ views! Individual humans are all over the belief spectrum with the issues. That is why discussion is necessary!
The people that I enjoy watching and reading at least attempt to tell the truth as they see it and are willing to listen to varying opinions and discuss them! From libertarian to center ...
