Why are some people so afraid of God??

[deciophobic]

What is so wrong with having "under God" in the pledge? 90% of kids in school don't even take the pledge seriously when they say it, they just mumble along with it. (This one is mainly for parents who say their kids' rights are being violated when they have to say under God)

Is there anything wrong with having the 10 commandments in a courtroom? They seem like pretty good rules to follow to me.

Why do some people want to remove God so much?

I hate Bill Walton as an announcer but I don't phone ESPN and ABC to have him removed from T.V. (although maybe I really should start a petition) I just deal with him.

Please someone tell me why God must be romoved?

 

[dilloduck]

I don't think anyone is seriously offended by it but attacking Christianity is the goal of the ACLU right now.

 

[rtwngAvngr]

decio, what happened? You used to be insane, now you seem closer to normal.

 

[DKSuddeth]

God smites people, that alone should make people fear him. :

 

[Hobbit]

I think it runs deeper than just the ACLU hating christianity. I think it has a lot more to do with God standing in the way of the rest of the ACLU's agenda. Some of the things they stand for are gay rights, abortion, and basically the freedom to do whatever you want as long as you don't hurt anybody else. People who believe in God won't stand for such a thing, so they get people to stop thinking about God so they won't be so outraged at this agenda. They better just hope God doesn't take the matter personally and pull a "Soddom and Gamorrah" on 'em.

 

[5stringJeff]

There's no real reason, decio, except that the ACLU is bitterly opposed to Christianity and its morals.

 

[DKSuddeth]

Originally posted by gop_jeff
There's no real reason, decio, except that the ACLU is bitterly opposed to Christianity and its morals.

I think it has more to do with being opposed to having christianity forced upon people than it does with opposing the religion itself.

 

[deciophobic]

Originally posted by rtwngAvngr
decio, what happened? You used to be insane, now you seem closer to normal.

don't worry. i still am!

 

[HGROKIT]

Originally posted by DKSuddeth
I think it has more to do with being opposed to having christianity forced upon people than it does with opposing the religion itself.

I hear this "forced" term used frequently. I cannot recall reading or seeing anything that would constitute force as defined in my experience. Therein lies the keyword "experience".

What in your "experience" constitutes "forced"? I think there needs to be some understanding there so there is a common ground for discussion.

 

[acludem]

Contrary to popular belief (on this board anyway) the ACLU does not hate Christianity, nor do they seek to attack it. The ACLU has fought for the rights of Christians on frequent occassions. In fact here is a recent case in which the ACLU defended the right of a Christian student to have a biblical passage included in their yearbook notes.
===========================
URL: http://www.aclu.org/StudentsRights/StudentsRights.cfm?ID=15680&c=159

After ACLU Intervention on Behalf of Christian Valedictorian, Michigan High School Agrees to Stop Censoring Religious Yearbook Entries
May 11, 2004

DETROIT – The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today announced an out-of-court settlement between the Utica Community School District and a local student over the censorship of her 2001 yearbook entry. The student’s entry had been deleted from the yearbook because it contained a passage from the Bible.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DETROIT – The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today announced an out-of-court settlement between the Utica Community School District and a local student over the censorship of her 2001 yearbook entry. The student’s entry had been deleted from the yearbook because it contained a passage from the Bible.

“While it is true that the Constitution forbids public schools to promote religion, schools must be careful not to suppress the private religious expression of students,” said ACLU of Michigan Legal Director Michael J. Steinberg, who represented the student. “In this case, a high school purported to create an open forum for student expression, yet censored a student’s speech because it was religious in nature.”

The student, Abbey Moler, was valedictorian of Stevenson High School’s class of 2001 in Sterling Heights, a town of 17,000 located 25 miles north of Detroit. She and a handful of other noteworthy graduates were profiled in a section of the yearbook listing the students’ activities and the colleges they planned to attend. In addition, each student was invited to share some words of wisdom or advice to pass on to the rest of the school.

In previous years, students’ entries in the section ranged from serious advice to humorous tidbits. Moler, a devout Christian, submitted a bible verse that she found meaningful: “I would like to share a favorite verse that shapes my life and guides me from day to day: ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Bible).”

When the yearbook was published, Moler discovered that her entry had been omitted. She and her parents complained, and were told that the school could not publish the entry due to its religious content.

"My personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the foundation of who I am, and the publication of my verse is critical to preserving student expression and First Amendment rights,” said Moler, who is now 20 years old and studying to become a teacher. “I received a wonderful education from the Utica Community School District, and now that I am entering the teaching profession, I wanted to do my part in maintaining excellence in public education.”
The ACLU and the school district were able to negotiate a settlement in the matter, thus avoiding the need to file a lawsuit. The terms of the settlement include the following:

The district will place a sticker with Moler’s original entry in the copies of the yearbook on file with the school;
The district has instructed the Stevenson High School yearbook staff not to censor students’ yearbook entries solely because they contain religious or political speech that others might find offensive;
The district recently provided and will continue to provide in-service training and advice to school staff on free speech and religious freedom issues that arise in school;
The district will write a letter of regret to Moler apologizing for the failure to include her entry in the yearbook.
A copy of censored yearbook page is online at http://www.aclumich.org/pressadditions/uticayearbook.jpg

A copy of the ACLU’s original letter to the school district is online at http://www.aclumich.org/pressadditions/uticayearbookletter.doc
==============================

acludem

 

[nycflasher]

Originally posted by deciophobic

Is there anything wrong with having the 10 commandments in a courtroom?

Seperation of church and state?
Why is it so important to you to have the 10 commandments in the courtroom?
Does God need a district attorney to enforce his "laws" or a lawyer to defend them?

 

[Hobbit]

I think a judge should be allowe to have whatever icon he wants in his courtroom, as long as it's not offensive (reasonably offensive, like porn or graphic violence or something) and as long as he makes his decision based on the laws of his jurisdiction.

 

[nycflasher]

Originally posted by Hobbit
I think a judge should be allowe to have whatever icon he wants in his courtroom, as long as it's not offensive (reasonably offensive, like porn or graphic violence or something) and as long as he makes his decision based on the laws of his jurisdiction.

And why do you think that?
When a judge is on the bench, his DUTY is to enforce the laws of the land.
The courtroom is not his but the people"s right?

 

[dilloduck]

Originally posted by nycflasher
Seperation of church and state?
Why is it so important to you to have the 10 commandments in the courtroom?
Does God need a district attorney to enforce his "laws" or a lawyer to defend them?

Do we need to eliminate judges who are Christian ? What is hanging on the wall doesn't influence people nearly as much as the decision of the judge.( How is the ACLU funded anyway? )

 

[nycflasher]

Do we need to eliminate judges who are Christian ?
-- Of course not.

What is hanging on the wall doesn't influence people nearly as much as the decision of the judge.
--I don't disagree with that, but it's sort of side-stepping the issue.

( How is the ACLU funded anyway? )
--um, not sure. Donations?

 

[Hobbit]

Originally posted by nycflasher
And why do you think that?
When a judge is on the bench, his DUTY is to enforce the laws of the land.
The courtroom is not his but the people"s right?

Heck, might as well make a law forbidding all religious icons from all places in all public building. Shouldn't even let gov't employees wear a cross around their necks. I say let the judge decorate the courtroom as he wants. I could understand the outcry if it began to look more like a church than a courtroom, but what would be wrong about having up The Ten Commandments, The Code of Hammurabi, and, say, the Preamble to the Constitution. The preamble would certainly be allowed and the other two are documents of law that led to, and helped inspire, many modern laws.

 

[dilloduck]

If the purpose of this "cleansing" is to separate church and state, how can those doing the separating reconcile having a Christian judge? We just trust the judge to not let religion interfere with his/her rulings?

 

[acludem]

The ACLU is funded by private grants and donations.

acludem

 

[rtwngAvngr]

Originally posted by acludem
The ACLU is funded by private grants and donations.

acludem

Socialists and antiamericans all of them.

 

[nycflasher]

Originally posted by rtwngAvngr
Socialists and antiamericans all of them.

Yep, only socialists and anti-Americans value civil liberties.

Clearly, neocons don't...