Reply #2: I am against this initiative with every fiber of my being

[Malva Zebrina]

I am an atheist so my reasoning is pretty straightforward re separation of church and state. I cannot understand why any church/religion would want the government to mete out money to them, thereby putting themselves under the thumb of government. The state then runs the religion and holds over that religion the threat of removal of funds for whatever reason and the laying down of rules and laws by the state on what the religion can or cannot do. Further, churches are tax exempt now, and we the tax payer are left to -pick up the slack here--and now we are going to have to support a religion (s) that try to interfere in our voting process,practices bigotry, tries to interfere with the lives of women in a fit of misgyny for which they are famous, and is full of huge stone, spired cathedrals that are three stories high and falling apart because it has been and is too expensive to maintain them.

Another thing that enters my mind--a reflective person professing religion and love for fellow human beings as the primary locus of that religion has to sit back and wonder if, in a democracy,with a constitution such as ours, pushing for this money is the right thing to do. Or do they resort to pragmatism as the means to rationalize.