"The Church is nothing but a section of humanity in which Christ has really taken form...She has essentially nothing whatever to do with the so-called religious functions of man ..What matters in the Church is not religion but the form of Christ and its taking form amidst a band of men..Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"Being Christian is (not) about being religious. Religion, as I have used this term, is a system of beliefs and behaviors one embraces as a means of getting life--whether this be feeling close to God, one with others, or righteous before others. As such it is a part of the idolatrous fallen world that is inextricably tied up with our stolen knowledge of good and evil....So long as one is TRYING to achieve a relationship with God, he or she cannot RECEIVE a relationship with God by grace....We must repent..turn from our self-centered way of living...we are called to turn from our religion. (Gregory Boyd-Repenting of Religion) David:As you may note, I'm backing up in order to take another run at the subject of 'religion', it's practice and practitioners in American society. Better put, I should have said that 'religion', as defined above has EVERY PLACE in a secular society, NOT NO PLACE.This would include every 'religious group' and every 'religious practice'.whatever it may choose to call itself. America does have a 'religious' foundation. That 'religious foundation' was 'Christian' in it's orientation. IMO it was primarily enlightenment rooted rationalistic Deism. Does this help? Do you now see why I disagreed with your comments regarding lower court decisions? To the extent that such activisim is 'religiously' rooted I think one of two courses of action might be followed: 1. Extend church/state separation. 2. Extend the privileges of the state so as to include every 'religious belief' equally. From Islam to Santeria, from atheistic humanism to the Ku Klux Klan, treat all equally. <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: November 29, 2004 16:06 Subject: [TruthTalk] The role of religion in a secular society > Lance wrote: > > Religion, which originates with you know who (Satan), > > has no place in a secular society (read America). > > What about the religion of secular humanism? > > Religion does have a place in secular society. Religion should be freely > practiced in a secular society, to help govern the morals and convictions of > the people. The problem is that secular humanism masquerades as a > non-religious philosophy, thereby becoming the religion of our society that > gets preferential treatment. In actual fact, humanism is a religion. Once > we recognize that, religious freedom can be restored to our society. > > A truly secular society is one which allows the freedom of all religions and > philosophies of life, not just atheistic ones. > > Peace be with you. > David Miller. > > > ---------- > "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org > > If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
