Reply #58: My point is that Separation of Church and State

[astral]

is to not force any religion upon anyone. Back in the day all of these blasphemous practices such as praying before meetings and mentioning "God" on our money and posting excerpts from the Bible on the walls of the court house, it was not believed that the mere presence of religious beliefs would harm those who had no religious beliefs.

The atmosphere has changed and people want MORE than mere separation of church and state. They want STATE to PROTECT them from ANY EXPOSURE to any religious idea.

If this is what the people of this country want, now, that is a change. It may be 'right' for the present day, but it is not what the "separation of church and state" ever meant.

I am not feeling a 'victim' here, I am personally not a "Christian," I came to believe in my own concept of God as an adult and not by looking for a religion and picking one out, but by the realization that God exists through circumstances in my life.

I care not whether anyone around me believes the way I do but I do not feel we need to SANITIZE the public environment from any notion of God.

You may think I am stupid for not recognizing the separation of church and state to mean what you say it means, however to me it is as plain as the nose on your face that if that ***WAS*** the intent, the sanitation of public buildings, public practices, public currency of religious connotations would have happened a long time ago and we wouldn't be HAVING this debate now.

Diversity never harmed anyone. You can wear a veil, you can wear a cross, you can wear a white sheet, you can criss-cross your heart and hope to die right in front of me, I won't be damaged by your freedom to do so.

GROUP PRAYER is a right just as NOT PARTICIPATING in group prayer is a right.

"In God We Trust" doesn't mean you yourself has to trust in God, even if you use that coin to buy your diet Pepsi with.

People have the right to perform their practices and beliefs in the presence of others who are not intersted in the practice.

How many times in my life have I lowered my head and closed my eyes because someone said "Let Us Pray," and not in a church, and maybe not even when I was expecting it? Does it matter whether I am praying or not? Isn't it just being respectful of the world around me?

The courts will decide what is right and what is wrong here, and I know anybody who disagrees with the lockstep views of The Democratic Underground will be branded 'stupid' but still again I am explaining my point of view because that is my point of view.

Just as I am reading everyone elses' point of view here, but I am not calling anyone stupid.