The question is; Was our American government and constitution founded on Judeo-Christian rules and laws hence we are a Judeo-Christian nation or was it founded by Judeo-Christian men with a an inclusive idea for all, a secular nation? You decide.
Note, definition of secular:
1. Secularity (adjective form secular) is the state of being separate from religion.
2. Secularism - A position that religious belief should not influence public and governmental decisions.
Do you think it was a sign of subservience or respect? In addition, should a Christian nation or person be bowing to anyone but God? Let us here from you.
Are you an American Christian or a Christian American, a Jewish American or an American Jew, a Buddhist American or an American Buddhist if so what do you see as the difference?
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Comments: 15
Good Friday you have to choose this. And I suppose you think you are doing good for God and Country
Marilyn this applies to you as well. If you are going to trash the guy do it over something concrete. By the way President Bush was photographed holding hands with the same king
Our constitution was written specifically to exclude religion from government. And at least one official government document declares that "[T]he government of the United States of America is not founded in any sense on the Christian religion...." (Treaty of Peace and Friendship with the North African state of Tripoli, Article 11)
Do you think it was a sign of subservience or respect?
I personally think that Obama was simply showing respect. It may not have been the most politic thing to do, but I don't see any 'subservience' there at all. It's the same as if he were to bow to the Japanese Emperor or the King of Thailand. It's simply what you do in the presence of royalty.
[S]hould a Christian nation ... be bowing to anyone but God?
Again, we are NOT a Christian nation, so in regards to the United States, this question is entirely moot.
Are you an American Christian or a Christian American, a Jewish American or an American Jew, a Buddhist American or an American Buddhist if so what do you see as the difference?
I am none of the above. I am an American, period. Religion should have as little to do with government as, for instance, emotion has to do with mathematics. They are entirely unrelated and incompatible.
So bereft of credible policy ideas is conservatism after an eight year span in which they broke the country in half with incompetence and misguided leadership that they are now abandoning the discussion of policy completely.
Instead, they will now spend their energy trying to find symbolic reasons for tearing down President Obama.
Question: Why does Rush Limbaugh and the party he is the de facto head of want President Obama to fail?
Answer: Because his success would be the final proof that their ideology is wrong and they would rather America continue to suffer the rapid decline begun by their party than that they have to come to terms with their own errors.
And I don't understand the question(s) anyway. Why are they in the same post? They are in no way related. Arab nations have religions at root, trunk and canopy of their governments. We don't. So, whatever religious significance you ascribe to this silliness doesn't really exist.
however, we also do for when one reads the writings and personal habits of the founding fathers it becomes evident that they had the same feelings about Christianity but choose to separate it from government. This is the reason why I posted them together because I wanted to tie in the religious aspect of our own constitutional roots to hear your views mainly about how religion should figure into our nation. What is America’s proper place when dealing with its religion, what is its religion, and does it figure into our constitution, or is it a mute point?
John Sparacio, Apr 10, 2009, 11:34pm EDT
That's interesting, because it is the same opinion of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, which is why he ruled against it in 2005.
By the way President Bush was photographed holding hands with the same king
It was, and still is, a sign of friendship amongst Arab men, which is what Bush was trying to convey the entire 11 seconds he did this.
"Secularism - A position that religious belief should not influence public and governmental decisions."
This is impossible. How can a person not allow their beliefs (whether considered religious or not) to infulence public and governmental decisions? Is anyone naive enough to think they can some how remain neutral on all issues. And by the way who determines what neutral is?
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes though a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”-John Adams
“It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it [the Constitution] a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution.” –James Madison
“The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be not virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments.” –Benjamin Rush
“Religion is the only solid Base of morals and Morals are the only possible Support of free governments.” –Gouverneur Morris
“The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” –Thomas Jefferson
“It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for happily, the Government of the United States, which give to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.” –George Washington
Obama - "my job is to try to draw a connection between the values that I express to the church and the challenges and issues that we face in politics. ... I don't think there's anything wrong with expressing faith in the public square and I think there's nothing wrong public servants expressing religiously rooted values."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21190019/
Here is something I can actually agree with Obama on!
Thank you for the quotes they are quite refreshing!
First of all, nimrod, it's JUDEO-CHRISTIAN, not JUDEA-CHRISTIAN.
The rest is all wingnut blather.
Eric, Thanks for the spelling quiz secondly if the questions people have concerning the foundation and struggles of America are “wingnut blather” then that is your prerogative but it would be better for you if you learn how to state such feelings in a more intellectual way. You may get further with people of thought.
Politics and religion - where should the two intersect?
http://www.rzim.org/USA/Resources/Watch.aspx#politicsreligion