America is not great because it's a "Christian" nation

[OneOfTheseDays]

America isn't the greatest country on earth because we are a Christian nation. We are the greatest because we were the first country to make sure we didn't base our nation on religion and ancient hatreds. We based it on reason, liberty and capitalism.

I'm fucking sick and tired of hearing Conservatives spout this nonsense over and over again. Many of the first immigrants that came to this country came here to escape religious persecution. The notion that Christianity belongs ANYWHERE in our federal government is an abomination and anathema to everything this country was founded on.

Merry Xmas.

 

[Texashiker]

We are the greatest because we were the first country to make sure we didn't base our nation on religion and ancient hatreds.

Is that why native americans and blacks were treated as sub-human, because we did not use religion or ancient hatreds?

 

[IronWing]

Is that why native americans and blacks were treated as sub-human, because we did not use ancient hatreds?

Nah, those were new fangled hatreds. :awe:

 

[MotF Bane]

Is that why native americans and blacks were treated as sub-human, because we did not use ancient hatreds?

#winning!

 

[Jaskalas]

Merry Xmas.

:hmm: So what you're saying is that you, yourself, are a Christian terrorist?

Just wondering, with that Christian code word and all. Maybe in response we should make you a second class citizen alienated from certain rights, such as public office. You know, otherwise our government might catch 'teh Christian'.

I really don't know where else to go but to plainly point out the irony of your topic, on this day, with that signature.

 

[cybrsage]

I'm fucking sick and tired of hearing Conservatives spout this nonsense over and over again. Many of the first immigrants that came to this country came here to escape religious persecution. The notion that Christianity belongs ANYWHERE in our federal government is an abomination and anathema to everything this country was founded on.

The first amendment is freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion. Its purpose was to prevent the ESTABLISHMENT of the Church of the USA (akin to the Church of England). That is why it is called the Establishment Clause.

Two clauses in the First Amendment guarantee freedom of religion. The establishment clause prohibits the government from passing legislation to establish an official religion or preferring one religion over another. It enforces the "separation of church and state." Some governmental activity related to religion has been declared constitutional by the Supreme Court. For example, providing bus transportation for parochial school students and the enforcement of "blue laws" is not prohibited. The free exercise clause prohibits the government, in most instances, from interfering with a person's practice of their religion.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/First_amendment

Merry Xmas.

Interestingly enough, Xmas is a very good abbreviation for Christmas. Christmas is the modern word which means The Celebration of Christ. The Greek name for Christ is pronounced Kristoes (from which we get the word Christ), but the word is spelled Χριστός in Greek. Notice the first letter looks like the English letter X. Χριστός means The Annointed One and is the Greek word for the Hebrew word which translates to Messiah.

So...Xmas is a combination of the Greek word for Christ and the English word for celebration. Therefor Xmas still means the Celebration of Christ and is not an insult at all.

 

[SparkyJJO]

The notion that Christianity belongs ANYWHERE in our federal government is an abomination and anathema to everything this country was founded on.

Not really.

The first amendment is freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion.

I had a t-shirt a while ago that had that statement on it and an excerpt from the 1st amendment about it.

 

[Greenman]

The first amendment is freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion. Its purpose was to prevent the ESTABLISHMENT of the Church of the USA (akin to the Church of England). That is why it is called the Establishment Clause.


http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/First_amendment





Interestingly enough, Xmas is a very good abbreviation for Christmas. Christmas is the modern word which means The Celebration of Christ. The Greek name for Christ is pronounced Kristoes (from which we get the word Christ), but the word is spelled Χριστός in Greek. Notice the first letter looks like the English letter X. Χριστός means The Annointed One and is the Greek word for the Hebrew word which translates to Messiah.

So...Xmas is a combination of the Greek word for Christ and the English word for celebration. Therefor Xmas still means the Celebration of Christ and is not an insult at all.

We have a winner! Why do so few people understand this?

 

[JS80]

America isn't the greatest country on earth because we are a Christian nation. We are the greatest because we were the first country to make sure we didn't base our nation on religion and ancient hatreds. We based it on reason, liberty and capitalism.

I'm fucking sick and tired of hearing Conservatives spout this nonsense over and over again. Many of the first immigrants that came to this country came here to escape religious persecution. The notion that Christianity belongs ANYWHERE in our federal government is an abomination and anathema to everything this country was founded on.

Merry Xmas.

Irony. You has it.

 

[Karl Agathon]

Wow, christian bashing really is trendy!

 

[Greenman]

Wow, christian bashing really is trendy!

It is here.

 

[narreth]

It is here.

It is on the internet.

 

[thraashman]

Wow, christian bashing really is trendy!

Playing the victim card by Christians and conservatives really is trendy.

He wasn't bashing Christians in any way, he was simply pointing out that conservatives that try to tout christianity as the reason for all things awesome are wrong. This nation's secular tendencies are what make us great because we don't let religion make our decisions for us. We let reason, logic, and sanity.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

Playing the victim card by Christians and conservatives really is trendy.

He wasn't bashing Christians in any way, he was simply pointing out that conservatives that try to tout christianity as the reason for all things awesome are wrong. This nation's secular tendencies are what make us great because we don't let religion make our decisions for us. We let reason, logic, and sanity.

This.

I don't deny Christianity has been the dominant religion of this country since it's inception. The founding fathers, however, made it very clear that NO religion should ever be involved when it comes to the governance of this country. And keep in mind, slavery and racism were a part of our nation's history for quite some time so perhaps one should think twice before claiming Christian values made this country what it was.

So please stop playing the victim card Christians. You're whining because this nation is slowly but surely becoming more secular and your status as the "chosen" religion is falling in this country. You want special rights over other religions and to be acknowledged in a way that directly violates our Constitution. Now that you're being treated like every other religion you're a "victim". Give me a break Christians.

 

[BudAshes]

The first amendment is freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion. Its purpose was to prevent the ESTABLISHMENT of the Church of the USA (akin to the Church of England). That is why it is called the Establishment Clause.


http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/First_amendment





Interestingly enough, Xmas is a very good abbreviation for Christmas. Christmas is the modern word which means The Celebration of Christ. The Greek name for Christ is pronounced Kristoes (from which we get the word Christ), but the word is spelled Χριστός in Greek. Notice the first letter looks like the English letter X. Χριστός means The Annointed One and is the Greek word for the Hebrew word which translates to Messiah.

So...Xmas is a combination of the Greek word for Christ and the English word for celebration. Therefor Xmas still means the Celebration of Christ and is not an insult at all.

Christians are great at branding. Take a pagan holiday, throw christ in the name and tell people to go to church instead of sacrificing a goat or whatever to satisfy their god(s). We all know god and santa clause are equally relevant to reality. At this point most christians do it for their kids, they don't want to/can't answer the hard questions so they take the easy way out and point to the bible. It's an ingenious coping mechanism that is as much a part of our evolution as masturbation. In fact I would say believing in god is the closest thing to mental masturbation.

 

[HAL9000]

America isn't the greatest country on earth

This.

 

[lopri]

Isn't here someone named "lemon law" or something? I think he might know a lot about the establishment clause.

 

[Steeplerot]

Irony. You has it.

What would actually be ironic was if you were not commenting on religion with a biased view of one religion in your user icon while defending another, muslim extremism is just another shade of the whackjob Christians we deal with here in the USA with our conservatives all up their ass. Same assholes, different desert fairies in the sky. Same hatered and small minded black and white thinking. All you guys should go piss off and leave civilization to work out the finer details without useless cult distractions of the weak minded.

Mankind has far better things to do then dick wave over religion from 1000s of years ago when people wiped their ass with leaves.

Happy holidays!

 

[Siddhartha]

1. Cheap natural resources,
2. Cheap labor*
3. Steady investment in research and education.
4. Geographically isolated from the destructive results of the endless dumbass european wars.

*Chinese labor now, and probably cheap Vietnamese labor in the near future.

 

[zsdersw]

The first amendment is freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion.

In the sense that the first amendment keeps anyone (including government) from forcing their religion on someone else, yes, there is freedom FROM religion.

 

[zsdersw]

America isn't the greatest country on earth because we are a Christian nation. We are the greatest because we were the first country to make sure we didn't base our nation on religion and ancient hatreds. We based it on reason, liberty and capitalism.

I'm fucking sick and tired of hearing Conservatives spout this nonsense over and over again. Many of the first immigrants that came to this country came here to escape religious persecution. The notion that Christianity belongs ANYWHERE in our federal government is an abomination and anathema to everything this country was founded on.

Merry Xmas.

I'm about as anti-religion as they come, but I would encourage you to not make mountains out of molehills. No one is forcing you to believe their religion or think or speak or act as they do. If you're "sick and tired" of "hearing conservatives spout nonsense", the solution is quite simple: don't listen to them.

I enjoy listening to the opinions of those with whom I will never agree. It's far more interesting than being in an ideological echo chamber.

 

[xj0hnx]

What would actually be ironic was if you were not commenting on religion with a biased view of one religion in your user icon while defending another, muslim extremism is just another shade of the whackjob Christians we deal with here in the USA with our conservatives all up their ass. Same assholes, different desert fairies in the sky. Same hatered and small minded black and white thinking. All you guys should go piss off and leave civilization to work out the finer details without useless cult distractions of the weak minded.

Mankind has far better things to do then dick wave over religion from 1000s of years ago when people wiped their ass with leaves.

Happy holidays!

Even as an atheist I'm going to have to say you are delusional when you say bullshit like, "muslim extremism is just another shade of the whackjob Christians we deal with here in the USA with our conservatives all up their ass. Same assholes, different desert fairies in the sky."

 

[PrinceofWands]

Not really.

Yes, really. In the hearts and mind of the people, including those in government; fine. In government itself, OH HELL NO.

 

[silverpig]

In the sense that the first amendment keeps anyone (including government) from forcing their religion on someone else, yes, there is freedom FROM religion.

Especially when potential leaders campaign on issues given to them by the bible.

 

[Orignal Earl]

Even as an atheist I'm going to have to say you are delusional when you say bullshit like, "muslim extremism is just another shade of the whackjob Christians we deal with here in the USA with our conservatives all up their ass. Same assholes, different desert fairies in the sky."

Give it alittle more time.
Once you start getting more of the Bachman Perry types into power, you will see your fundies having more freedom to take yours