Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Parallax on September 13, 2008 at 11:48am

This worries me too Realizer and I'm glad you brought this up. Some might argue that since the US has never been a theocracy, and because of the actions of the ACLU, it isn't headed there any time soon. But it took a scary turn right after 9/11. People flocked to the churches and Bush decried his mandate [from God] for our actions around the world. The US has increasingly been described as a Christian nation, by our own and others. The Christian leaders of this country are saying that our founding fathers were Christians therefore we're a Christian nation, whether or not it's factual. People believe it though. And some Christians are of the opinion that we need a theocracy in order to battle with other theocracies. As if we're going to be blessed because we worship more correctly than others and just like in the movies and bible, we'll reign supreme over the infidels and religious extremists of other countries.

BTW did you see the Ron Paul 2002 (I'm pretty sure this is 2002 or perhaps 2004...I can't remember...senior moment!) address to congress? I voted for the neocon congress back in the 90's. I wish I'd been more open to dissent back then...but alas, I wasn't a very intelligent christian. I was a pentacostal church member (Assembly of God) and didn't care about what others thought. I knew I knew what was right for everyone. Sound familiar?

Permalink Reply by Realizer on September 13, 2008 at 4:16pm

Parallex..I didn't realize there were many who thought like I do, I have buried all of my (childhood-teenage-twenties) friends and do not have the time to meet many new people. I have un-retired and have licensed and insured one of my 18 wheelers to haul uranium ore, so I have very little spare time to socialize. I quit organized religion at about age 10, and have not had any use for the money making talking heads selling "pie in the sky when you die", I wish god could be seperated from politics........

Permalink Reply by Razrback11 on March 11, 2009 at 3:30am

I was a Christian and a soldier in the 90's and I kept seeing our country being attacked (i.e. the first World Trade Center attack, bombings of our embassies in Africa and the USS Cole bombing) and I saw how president Clinton did nothing, so I became a raving lunatic of a neocon for a while (I lost my religion well before I lost my neocon side). After 911 I, like many Americans, was out calling for war, yet again and I was happy with our initial efforts in Afghanistan, but I started to lose my faith in Bush when I saw General Powell sent out to the slaughter with faulty information about WMD's. I was, and still am a big fan of General Powell. I lost the rest of my neocon side when Dr. Paul fully opened my eyes to what the Republican Party is supposed to be.

On another note, and you all may have already seen this long ago, but I still love to show it to people who claim the founders intended our nation to be a Christian nation. The Treaty of Tripoli clearly states in Article 11, "The United States of America is not, in any sense, founded upon the Christian religion." That sums up the whole debate right there. It was only the 3rd time that there was a unanimous vote in the Senate and it was signed by John Adams. It was also read and approved by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine, then printed in several newspapers. There was no recorded public outcry at the time about Article 11, so it must have been supported!

Permalink Reply by Brian on March 11, 2009 at 2:08pm

Wow! Great info on Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli!

It is so irritating when people say "...one nation, under god."

Half a century ago, at the height of anti-Communist fervor, Congress added the words ''under God'' to the Pledge of Allegiance. It was a petty attempt to link patriotism with religious piety, to distinguish us from the godless Soviets. But after millions of repetitions over the years, the phrase has become part of the backdrop of American life, just like the words ''In God We Trust'' on our coins and ''God bless America'' uttered by presidents at the end of important speeches.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in California ruled 2 to 1 that those words in the pledge violate the First Amendment, which says that ''Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.''

Permalink Reply by Tonya Wynn on June 1, 2011 at 11:29am

Razrback11,    in a book of Thomas Jefferson's writings, Jefferson goes into quite some detail, not just on the Treaty of Tripoli, but on WHY we are not a Christian nation. ( He also explains how England would keep up the slave trade when most Americans were against it).

 

I cannot usually feel ok with voting Republican, not just because of religion, but because they, like the Left, wanna tell me how to live my life when there are no 'externalities' (harm to others/environment).  Also, I feel that most Republican politians are in bed with the large corporations and could truly care less about the Average Joe.  I don't believe in handouts to either the commoner nor the corporations.