Time to think!

[kygorski]

That democratic " arab spring" is showing its true colors. Coptic christians, who were there long before mohamed are being killed, churches burned, We need allies like this. Lets cut off the aid to these murders, [all muslims].When will these STUPID people in our government read the writting on the wall. These people are our mortal enemies. Instead some are attacking the mormon faith. Are there three or four Jesuses? Starting to look that way. whos next? Seventh day adventis?Jews? Lutherns?Religion has NO place in politics. A bigot is a bigot.

[FlyLie]

I think the constitution is clear about religion.....It has no place in government!! Is if not true that among the first settlers in this nation were those FLEEING FROM RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION ! So then, how are we to address the EXTREME LEFT AND RIGHT who attempt to interject religion into the CONSTITUTION and election our constitutional Representatives.

Shall we regress to the time of the INQUISITION AND BURN THEM AT THE STAKE?

[kygorski]

depends! left handed episcopals could be a starting place!

[FlyLie]

Did't think you took my response seriously, but only if they have 4 toes.

[MrSplitshot]

I can assure you that the Founding Fathers did not believe that religion had no place in government. They were very much Christian and quite clear in their beliefs about the influence religion had on the drafting of the Constitution.

The Constitution grants us the freedom to practice whatever religion we choose, free from persecution, and says that Congress can not establish a national religion.

That doesn't mean that religion and faith can't play a role in the decisions that our government of the people make.

http://james-a-watkins.hubpages.com/...unding-Fathers

[FlyLie]

I can assure you that the Founding Fathers did not believe that religion had no place in government. They were very much Christian and quite clear in their beliefs about the influence religion had on the drafting of the Constitution.

The Constitution grants us the freedom to practice whatever religion we choose, free from persecution, and says that Congress can not establish a national religion.

That doesn't mean that religion and faith can't play a role in the decisions that our government of the people make.

http://james-a-watkins.hubpages.com/...unding-Fathers

Confused, your statement is in entirely for/and against you apparent statement of belief. While I realize the Principe of separation of Church and State followed later(Jefferson) , are you now proposing that WE, the Voters should base our voting preferences on a candidates religiousness preferences. I opposed any elected official gaining office or any administrative office, whether it be local or national, based on religious beliefs. Such as they are, they are personal decisions, as are yours and mind!

While there is not enough space allowed on this site to name all the RELIGIONS ON THIS EARTH, please don't be surprised that at the end time, you may have chosen the WRONG ONE ( or maybe there there is no right one, ever think about that?)

[MrSplitshot]

You said that religion has no place in government. When government and the policies therein are set by men and women who have religious beliefs of their own and often call upon them to make decisions as the voice of the people, I disagree...and I think religion does play a role. I simply stated that the Founding Fathers were religious people who happened to be Christians. They were very influenced by their faith and set early direction for this country based upon what they believed.

While I do not believe that a candidate should be elected solely upon their religious background, I can respect the notion that a voter may want to vote for someone who shares common religious beliefs with them...especially if they are a very religious person. When you are voting for a person that is going to represent YOU in government and be your voice in the democratic process...a person who, if so proclaimed, will call upon their morality, virtue, and religious beliefs to make hard decisions...I do not think that it is out of bounds to make religion an issue.

Myself, personally...I'm not extremely religious. Yes, I believe in God, I pray, and I consider myself a Christian, but I'm not a regular church goer. I don't believe that Heaven waits for only those who congregate. (That's an old Don Williams line, in case you're not an old country music fan. lol) I'm less apt to make religion an issue when I vote. However, I can totally understand how someone who is a devout church-going Christian might not want to vote for someone of Islamic faith, or Jewish faith, or someone who proclaims religious views that are drastically in contrast with something that they believe so strongly in.

Thankfully, we live in a country where we CAN make religion an issue in the way we vote if we so choose.

It is simply established by the Constitution that the government will not proclaim a national religion and "to each his own" on who or how they want to worship. If you want to worship Buddha, fine. If you want to worship Mohammed, fine. Knock yourself out. That's what makes us different, unique, and free. But the Constitution never states that religion is NOT to be one of the moral fibers of this country upon which people make many decisions in their daily lives...the same people that go to Washington and represent us in government. The fact of the matter is that 75% of the population is Christian.

[FlyLie]

Understand and appreciate your position, but for me, I'd rather evaluate an individual based upon their morality, rather than religion, while at the same time I realize that most religions teach morality.

Geez, thinking I circled the wagons there...

[RoadToad]

I can assure you that the Founding Fathers did not believe that religion had no place in government. They were very much Christian and quite clear in their beliefs about the influence religion had on the drafting of the Constitution.

The Constitution grants us the freedom to practice whatever religion we choose, free from persecution, and says that Congress can not establish a national religion.

That doesn't mean that religion and faith can't play a role in the decisions that our government of the people make.

http://james-a-watkins.hubpages.com/...unding-Fathers

I find it interesting that this web site that you quote to support your point that the Founding Fathers believed in mixing religion with government, and which tries to advance that point, cannot produce a single quote from any of them that supports this position. For instance, where they talk about Jefferson, they quote Cicero, presumably because any quotes of Jefferson's on the subject would have disproved their point. The site even goes so far as to misquote the Declaration of Independence, which does NOT say "that our right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness is granted to us by God the Creator of the universe.

The truth is that the "Founding Fathers" were not one homogeneous group in terms of religious beliefs, nor in their views on separation of church and state. And it's a fallacy that all of them were Christians. There were a number of them that rejected Christ's divinity. Check out this site:

http://www.jameswatkins.com/foundingfathers.htm

There was a long discussion of this in another thread a while ago, and I'm not going to rehash it. Suffice it to say that I firmly believe that the framers of the Constitution, if not all the signers, intended for church and state to be forever separate.