1st Amendment editorial

[steelers#1fan]

This is an editorial from one of our local papers. Found it quite interesting, so I thought I'd share.

What Does
the 1st
Amendment
Say?

First, it was the angels on
the Citizen’s Bridge in Kittanning.
Then, it was the Nativity
scene on the municipal building
lawn in Ellwood City. Now,
it’s the Ten Commandments on
the grass outside Valley High
School.
The 1st Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States
of America is as follows, and I
quote: “Congress shall make no
law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging
the freedom of speech, or
of the press; or the right of the
people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the Government
for a redress of grievances.”:
In a letter to the New Kensington-
Arnold School District,
a Wisconsin-based atheist
group has asked the district to
remove the stone monument,
given by the New Kensington
Eagles over a decade ago. The
monument sits near the entrance
to Valley High School’s
gymnasium.
Annie Laurie Gaylor, cofounder
of the group “Freedom
From Religion Foundation,”
said

they would file a lawsuit, if

necessary, to have it removed.
She claims the display amounts
to an “egregious violation of
the separation between church
and state.” The Foundation accuses
the district of violating
the First Amendment’s establishment
clause and cites the
1980 Supreme Court ruling in
Stone Vs. Graham that found
a Kentucky law requiring the
Ten Commandments be posted
in every classroom in Kentucky
was unconstitutional. This is not
surprising, said Vic Walczak, of
the Pennsylvania Civil Liberties
Union.
So now that we have all of the
facts and the case law on the situation,
what is your decision?
Wait a minute! Not so fast!
You’re about to jump to a conclusion
without all of the facts
that surround how that clause
got in the Constitution in the

first place.

Let’s start with Ms. Gaylor’s
comment of a “violation of the
separation between church and
state.” Now go back and read the
1st Amendment again. Did you
see anywhere it said anything
about “separation of church and
state”? I didn’t.
Do you know where this phrase
comes from? It comes from
President Thomas Jefferson and
the Baptist Association of Danbury
Connecticut, shortly after
Jefferson became President.
They expressed concern that
the right of religious expression
was government-given rather
than God-given and, therefore,
the government might someday
attempt to regulate religious expression.
Jefferson understood
their concern; it was also his
own. Jefferson believed that the
government was to be powerless
to interfere with religious
expressions for a very simple
reason: he had long witnessed
the unhealthy tendency of government
to encroach upon the
free exercise of religion.
And as we are considering
the reasons behind Jefferson’s
concerns let us not forget that
while under British control the

official religion of England

was the Church of England.
Jefferson wrote, “that the legislature
should make no law
respecting as establishment
of religion or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof:” The
separation of church and state
is a reference to the Church of

England and an official reli

gion
which was the reason for
the First Amendment in the

first place.

The metaphor of “separation
of church and state” was for
the church staying out of the
states’ business and the state
staying out of the churches’
business”.
Unfortunately, the current
implied common meaning and
use of the metaphor is strictly
for the church staying out of
the state’s business. The opposite
meaning essentially
cannot be found in the media,
the judiciary, or in public debate
and is not any part of the
agenda of the ACLU or the
judiciary. This, in conjunction
with several other factors,
makes the “separation of
church and state” metaphor an
icon for eliminating anything
having to do with Christian
theism, the religion of our
heritage, in the public arena.

Another factor facilitating the

all forms of Christian theism is
the complete misunderstanding
of the “establishment” clause
as Jefferson warned.
My friends, we are under
attack. Not only by terrorists
who attack our buildings, but
by those who would tear down

the moral fibre that built this

great country. All of the players
are in place, if we do not
turn this country around at the
next national election we will
be a 3rd class power with no
individual freedoms including
religion.
Now is the time, this is the
place, stand up and be counted
or be part of the demise of the
United States of America.
All that is necessary for evil
to succeed, is for good men and
women to do nothing..

THIS IS A CALL TO ACTION!

[shrewsbury]

“Congress shall make no
law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof;

think that says it all

[pspstatus]

Poor Christians. You guys have it rough. When I think of an oppressed group of people in this country, Christians are right at the top of the list. People really should stop "attacking" them.

[Wickabee]

Christians are "attacked" as often as atheists are "attacked".

Rarely-to-never

Yet one group constantly accuses the other of "attacking" them.

[shrewsbury]

Poor Christians. You guys have it rough. When I think of an oppressed group of people in this country, Christians are right at the top of the list. People really should stop "attacking" them.

where did that come from? we are not on top of the oppressed and if we were, we wouldn't be complaining.

but i am sure to you that the few that do will be the voice of all of us, just like the black panthers represent all blacks, and terrorists represent all muslims

[pspstatus]

where did that come from? we are not on top of the oppressed and if we were, we wouldn't be complaining.

but i am sure to you that the few that do will be the voice of all of us, just like the black panthers represent all blacks, and terrorists represent all muslims

Really I hear a lot of complaining about the attacks on Christians in this country. Pretty much every day actually. Gay people being married is an attack on Christians, Not being able to pray in school is an attack on Christians, abortion is an attack on Christians. At least, these are the things I hear quite often.

[shrewsbury]

i here gays complaining, blacks complaining, whites complaining, muslims complaining, and christians complaining

but the few don't peak for the masses, not all christians elect someone to represent us, we can represent ourselves.

gay marriage? as a christian i have no problem with it
not praying in school? as a christian, no big deal, i can pray in my mind. i believe it steps on my rights as an american and i should be able to pray where i want, if otehrs don't, that is their right
abortions? as a christian i won't judge, as a human, i feel that some, if not many, should not happen, but i have never been in the situation so i will not label others that have

i can see where you are coming from, the crap is everywhere, from nuts burning korans, to picketing soldiers funerals, to wanting to keep a statue in place, but that is not all christians nor the majority.

[pspstatus]

i here gays complaining, blacks complaining, whites complaining, muslims complaining, and christians complaining

but the few don't peak for the masses, not all christians elect someone to represent us, we can represent ourselves.

gay marriage? as a christian i have no problem with it
not praying in school? as a christian, no big deal, i can pray in my mind. i believe it steps on my rights as an american and i should be able to pray where i want, if otehrs don't, that is their right
abortions? as a christian i won't judge, as a human, i feel that some, if not many, should not happen, but i have never been in the situation so i will not label others that have

i can see where you are coming from, the crap is everywhere, from nuts burning korans, to picketing soldiers funerals, to wanting to keep a statue in place, but that is not all christians nor the majority.

Let's be honest though. You're a lot more rational about these things than a lot of other Christians. There's editorials in my local newspaper just like this almost everyday claiming that Christians are being attacked. Of course I know some don't represent all but I believe a lot of Christians feel that way.

[shrewsbury]

[QUOTE] You're a lot more rational about these things than a lot of other Christians.[QUOTE]

thanks

and yes i get your point, it's everywhere, it's hard to listen to the radio, read the paper, or watch the news any more.

[pspstatus]

[quote=shrewsbury;11290080][quote] You're a lot more rational about these things than a lot of other Christians.

thanks

and yes i get your point, it's everywhere, it's hard to listen to the radio, read the paper, or watch the news any more.

You're welcome.

There's a lot of complaining from a lot of groups, it's true.