Church and State

[kydonky]

kydonky, if your address shown is correct, you're in Frankfort? If so, there is a tremendous amount of money spent locally on charity. ROSM, the food kitchen, St. Vincent dePaul, there's a pretty long list.

As for after school care, there's a big reason most churches don't do it--liability. I think it's hard to blame them, with so many people out there willing to file frivolous lawsuits.

Yes, I very much agree there are some that do a lot. I just saying there are some that operate like a country club. I'm not against churches, even if they do just serve members. God bless them for providing life guidence to their flocks.

Just these concerns are reasons church and state should be seperate. They fill voids left by each other. Government should not mandate beliefs and religions should not be mandated services to provide.

[Chubminnow]

You all bring up some pretty decent reasons why church and state should be separate. Can't say I disagree with much of what has been wrote here. But separate as in how separate??? Should we go so far as to take In God We Trust off our currency? Should we not allow prayer in schools? Having to call the 5th graders "Christmas Program" a "Winter Holiday Play" instead? Guess I don't care who gets offended just because it's against some "foriegn family's" religeon who lives here and can't speak english very well. Guess I'm pretty much fed up with going in Walmart or Kroger or where ever and have what seems like nearly half of the other customers there speak some language that I don't know.

As for that Church on Blankenbaker....man that's a big one!! I've heard there's a shopping mall inside of it...full size gymnasium, a workout facility, you name it. Plus I've heard they have church services there at just about any hour of any day so as to fit with anyone's schedule. I prefer a "whole in the wall" church myself.

[kydonky]

This will be my last comment, promise.

Just a funny (but true) note from the past.

When I was about 10 years old I just about severed my ring finger on my right hand.

I was taken to Jewish Hospital in Louisville and the famed hand surgens were to reconstruct it.

When my dad told me I was going to Jewidh hospital to have it fixed I told him "BUT I"M NOT JEWISH!!!!!"

He told me that they could fix it best and I argued that I did not use this finger that much and we should just forget it caus I was not Jewish and at 10 yo I was concerned what these Jewish people would do to me.

But my dad insisted and I had my finger reconstructed.

There are those among us with minds of a 10 year old.

[bassin_bug]

Hello there, Grumpy. Everybody knows where I stand on separation of church and state, so I won't rehash the old argument except to say that separating the two does not require us to "to remove all public recognition of God from our society." Arguing in favor of separation of church and state is too often misconstrued as an attack on religion, which it is not. And your statement that "THEY WILL ULTIMATELY TRY TO BAN ALL RELIGIOUS PRACTIES, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE" takes things to a whole new level. Frankly, I think that's a little paranoid.

I disagree about banning religious practices as being "a little paranoid." Most Christian practices (prayers) have already been banned from schools, ball games, around the flag pole, in public places, etc. Yet, provisions are made for Muslim students to have a special place and time to say their prayers at school every day. What's fair about that? This country was not established upon Muslim principles; it was established upon Christian principles.

Do you remember that a few years ago, the Supreme Court ordered a judge to remove The Ten Commandments from a government building in Montgomery, AL? Since that time they have been banned from public places including historical markers in Washington, DC. Why was that? Nobody was forced stop and read the commandments; it was their choice to read or not to read them.

Separation of church and state came into existence because, when this country was under rule by England, no one could choose their own faith or the church they attended. All people were required to attend The Church of England. That's why our founding fathers came to America, so they could have freedom OF religion, not freedom from religion. They wanted to be free to choose their own religion. That's what I learned in History class years ago and I still believe it to be true.

[bassin_bug]

This will be my last comment, promise.

Just a funny (but true) note from the past.

When I was about 10 years old I just about severed my ring finger on my right hand.

I was taken to Jewish Hospital in Louisville and the famed hand surgens were to reconstruct it.

When my dad told me I was going to Jewidh hospital to have it fixed I told him "BUT I"M NOT JEWISH!!!!!"

He told me that they could fix it best and I argued that I did not use this finger that much and we should just forget it caus I was not Jewish and at 10 yo I was concerned what these Jewish people would do to me.

But my dad insisted and I had my finger reconstructed.

There are those among us with minds of a 10 year old.

You reminded me of something that happened to me two years ago. I went into the hospital to have a very dangerous procedure done that had more of a chance of leaving me paralyzed than not. My doctor was an Egyptian who acted more like a Pitbull than a doctor. He came in to explain the procedure and the risks before I was taken to the operating room. When he started to leave the room, I asked him to give me some time to pray because I was facing something that could be life altering.

He looked at me and, through clenched teeth, said, "I give you 5 minutes to pray to you God and that's all." I answered, "I will only take two of those minutes because it doesn't take MY God but one second to answer my prayers; you will see." He was Muslim and had no respect for Christians other than their bank account.

I had no paralysis or any permanent damage. When I recovered from the anesthesia, he asked me how I was doing. I raised both hands and said, "Thank you God for answering my prayers." Then I raised my right leg straight up to my shoulder and then the left one, and said, "Everything seems to be working normally. I just have hiccups from the anesthesia."

[MrSplitshot]

I am passionately against the "Holiday" movement in regards to Christmas. Christmas is a Christian holiday, period. We shouldn't have to call it the "holidays" because it's Christmas - It's the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. That one really peeves me, and I'm not really what you would call a "Religious Right" kind of guy. Kwanza is Kwanza, and Ramadan is Ramadan, and Hanukkah is Hanukkah....and whatever else.

I don't believe that government should "endorse" a certain type of religion...ala the "Establishment Clause" in the First Amendment. I really don't think government has any place in religion. Religion, however, has a place in government because the elected officials that make the laws are religious human beings that are expected to use their own personal judgement and moral fiber to make decisions. Part of that judgement and moral fiber is based on their religious beliefs....look at issues like abortion, birth control, same sex marriage, etc. Of course the religious beliefs of our lawmakers are going to come into play - How could they not?

I think the numbers are around 75% Christian, 10% Non-Christian, and 15% Atheist/Non-Affiliated in this country. As far as "In God We Trust" on the money and as part of our official motto in the United States, on one hand I can see somewhat see that as an official "endorsement" of the Christian religion by the government. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that it is not such, and is merely a ceremonial representation of the majority of American's religious belief. Fair enough. The majority of us are Christians. It sounds better than the 100% accurate statement, which would have to be:

"In God most of us Trust, though some others trust in Allah, or Buddha, or Krishna, or some other God, or no God at all."

The dollar bill would be 9' long and weigh 17 pounds.

Regardless of my religion, I should be able to worship whomever I want, wherever I want, whenever I want. That's freedom. If that offends someone that is of a different faith, then I suggest they either get un-offended or buy a one-way ticket to somewhere else. BUT, it works both ways. I should be able to pray to my Christian God, but a Muslim American should be able to pray to Allah if they so desire. That's one of the things that is supposed to make us better than the rest of the World.

[waterdog101]

I think it reads "render unto Cesar what is Cesar's.

in the bible Abraham was a great man of God. and God spoke directly to Abraham, and God told Abraham about his tithe, and Abraham passed down this 10% number to his children, and to his grandson Jacob. eventually Moses codified this 10% figure into law, and gave it to Israel as directed by God. 10% of your income is Holy to God.

[FlyLie]

in the bible Abraham was a great man of God. and God spoke directly to Abraham, and God told Abraham about his tithe, and Abraham passed down this 10% number to his children, and to his grandson Jacob. eventually Moses codified this 10% figure into law, and gave it to Israel as directed by God. 10% of your income is Holy to God.

And who wrote this so called BIBLE? Is it History or Friction or a wet dream?

[RoadToad]

in the bible Abraham was a great man of God. and God spoke directly to Abraham, and God told Abraham about his tithe, and Abraham passed down this 10% number to his children, and to his grandson Jacob. eventually Moses codified this 10% figure into law, and gave it to Israel as directed by God. 10% of your income is Holy to God.

OK, if you say so, but JESUS never asked for 10%, which is what you said previously, and is what was being disputed. I'm pretty sure KYdonkey was right, all Jesus had to say on the matter was the bit about "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's."

[Hlleonard]

And who wrote this so called BIBLE? Is it History or Friction or a wet dream?

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I don't see how anybody can have enough faith to accept the bible literally... It seems that most of the stories there are rooted in fantasy instead of reality... It seems like churches for the most part are businesses that operate on Sundays.

[greenriverman1]

And who wrote this so called BIBLE? Is it History or Friction or a wet dream?

I think that rather we like it or not a higher power will answer that for all of us one day.

[RICHYD4U]

And who wrote this so called BIBLE? Is it History or Friction or a wet dream?

I think it was the "friction" that lead to the "wet dream", lmao!

-Rich