Bob, I agree with Tom that discussion is worthwhile. I'd agree with him that incendiary topics are probably best left off the Coupe list because even the social list doesn't need a flame war. I had to waste a couple or three hours on the Challenger list when a flame war got started there and we had LOTS of messages that had to be scanned before we could delete them because they were mixed in with the useful messages.
Nevertheless, I was able to find your posting in your bounced message and recognized it from a week or two ago when it was sent to me. On first reading, I somewhat agreed with some of what the writer was saying. But, there was certainly a part of it that got my steam up. I even wrote out a response. Feel free to forward my response to anyone you like because I think that messages like the one you forwarded can be very damaging if the defenders of religious freedom don't stand up against them. You can see my response below. Ed Burkhead I do think it's critical to share a common language. I think that all people must abide by the secular rules our society needs for its protection even if that means a Muslim woman must remove her veil for her drivers license photograph for driving is a secular activity, regulated for the safety of the secular society. I take special exception to the following section: > >"In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is > not some Christian, right wing, political slogan. > > > >We adopted this motto because Christian men and > women, on Christian principles, founded this > nation, and this is clearly documented. It is > certainly appropriate to display it on the > walls of our schools. > > > >If God offends you, then I suggest you consider > another part of the world as your new home, > because God is part of our culture. > > This is an example of coercive religious bigotry. It IS a Christian right-wing, political slogan. It demands, by the power of the government, that all people in America believe in a human-like, personal god, a thinking entity up above in whom we can trust. No other forms of religion are allowed (and differences in the detail could get you driven out of town). Sure, religion is part of the national culture and I don't go out of my way to heap ridicule on the silly, stupid and dangerous practitioners of it - for there are many otherwise sane and polite people who believe in various sects. Feel free to send this back to all religious bigots: I say to the Methodists and Presbyterians the same as I say to the Baptists and Taliban: You SHALL NOT impose your religion on ME! I say the pledge of allegiance but, when it comes to the government-mandated religion line, I exercise the freedom guaranteed by the constitution and fall silent during the words "under God." This country was founded by many religious people (and others) who were SICK AND TIRED of being forced to go along with the state or dominant religion and they WROTE IT INTO the Constitution of the United States of America that there shall be no government establishment of religion. That means there must be NO Ten Commandments on the walls of public school classrooms because that teaches the lie that "only by religion can you have good values." Rather, we should teach the laws of the nation and the reasons for abiding by them. It is because a secular body of laws can implement right and moral ways to treat others. Morality needs no religion and religion has been the source of the most hideously immoral evil in history. Look around the world today and see the evil being done by religious peoples in the name of God. To allow people of different religions to live together the Constitution says there shall be no establishment of religion by the government. That means there shall be NO prayers, "nondenominational" or not, led by teachers or students in the public schools for that is coercive forcing of worship on students. Neither shall there be any tolerance of disrespect or ill treatment toward the practitioners of any religion. There shall be no reprimand due a student who prays on his or her own just as no student shall be coerced to bow their heads because another student tries to lead a prayer for all students. YES, there should be prayer in the schools - in the Sunday schools, in Wednesday night church youth school, in choir practice and wherever the CHURCH holds its meetings and schools - so long as they're not in the public schools during school hours. I teach my child higher morals than your religion teaches yours. You can count on it! Now, you religious bigots, I have sworn to defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Are YOU applying for the job of defender of the constitution along with me - or the job of an attacker of the constitution? Ed Burkhead
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