We The People A group of 450 Muslim families in the predominantly white, Christian town of Palos Heights, Ill., had no place to worship, so they agreed to purchase an unused church for $2.1 million and turn it into a mosque. Local townspeople were aghast, and when one suggested to the City Council that the Muslims should convert to Christianity or "go back to [their] own countries," the Council voted to give the group $200,000 to drop their purchase plans. Mayor Dean Koldenhoven called the action embarrassing, fiscally irresponsible and an insult to Muslims, and vetoed it. (AP) ...Per the Constitution, "Freedom of Religion" means Freedom of Religion for everyone.
In Order To Form a More Perfect Union The Colorado Board of Education has voted to encourage schools to post the motto "In God We Trust" in all schools. No way, says the Jefferson County School Board, which oversees the bullet-riddled Columbine High. "In a time where there are already many lines dividing our children in schools, one more reason to point to differences cannot help," said Anti-Defamation League regional director Saul Rosenthal in applauding the decision. The state points out that the motto is included on U.S. currency and would be "a way to celebrate national heritage." (AP) ...Despite the Constitution, "Freedom of Religion" doesn't include Freedom From Religion. The first is pretty straightforward; virtually everyone understood that I was praising the mayor, and lecturing the city council (hey, morons: "Freedom of Religion" applies to *everyone*, not just you idiotic public servants"!) (*Update:* After the mayor was voted out of office for having the audacity to uphold religious freedom in his city, he was awarded The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award<http://www.jfklibrary.org/Education+and+Public+Programs/Profile+in+Courage+Award/Award+Recipients/Dean+Koldenhoven/>.) The second story -- or, really, its tagline (my follow-on comment at the end) -- is not as clear. Here it is spelled out in painful detail: *The Constitution guarantees "Freedom of Religion", which also includes "Freedom >From Religion" -- the freedom not to worship. Despite that guarantee, not everyone actually gets that freedom.* What's my thinking on that? Americans tend to think religion is the *exact same thing* as Christianity. Of course, it isn't -- the vast majority of the world population is not Christian. So since "Belief in God" and "religion" are considered absolutely equal by so many, few see anything wrong with promoting God -- to the point where school boards are insisting that mottos such as "In God We Trust" and Christianity's Ten Commandments should be posted in public (read: government-funded) schools. But what of the people who *don't* believe in the Christian God? Not just atheists, but (say) Buddhists? Or Muslims? The attitude of the people of Palos Heights, Ill. -- that these people should convert to Christianity or "go back to [their] own countries" -- is disgusting, but common. In other words, the freedoms this country were founded on are only good for *some* people -- the "right kind" of people -- and not to others -- the *wrong kind* of people, *different* people. *Bull!* The First Amendment's guarantee is for *all* Americans. And what a powerful thing it is: One hundred years ago, social scientists predicted that belief in God would decrease by the end of the century because of the secularization of society. In fact, the opposite has occurred. (Source: *How We Believe: The Search for God in an Age of Science* by Michael Shermer, 1999.) Yet despite the fact that the First Amendment has allowed religion to grow like it never has before, *some* Christians would deny others the same right to practice their own religion. Forcing slogans on people such as "In God We Trust" denies the rights of people to make up their own minds, to pursue their own rights. Such thinking deserves to be revealed as the hypocrisy it is. Many people think a motto such as "In God We Trust" is very innocuous and, really, not particularly religious. They point to the fact that it is on every piece of money issued by the United States government. That motto is, in fact, on money *for religious reasons* -- contrary to the clear words of the First Amendment. It's not just my opinion that it's there for religious reasons: the U.S. Treasury readily admits it in their history paper, "History of the Motto 'In God We Trust'" (available online here<http://www.treas.gov/education/fact-sheets/currency/in-god-we-trust.html>), which admits in part: The motto IN GOD WE TRUST was placed on United States coins largely because of the increased religious sentiment existing during the Civil War. Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase received many appeals from devout persons throughout the country, urging that the United States recognize the Deity on United States coins. From Treasury Department records, it appears that the first such appeal came in a letter dated November 13, 1861. It was written to Secretary Chase by Rev. M. R. Watkinson, Minister of the Gospel from Ridleyville, Pennsylvania. ... The Congress passed the Act of April 22, 1864 [to allow the motto on] the one-cent coin and authorized the minting of the two-cent coin.... Another Act of Congress passed on March 3, 1865. It allowed the Mint Director, with the Secretary's approval, to place the motto on all gold and silver coins that "shall admit the inscription thereon." ... The motto has been in continuous use on the one-cent coin since 1909, and on the ten-cent coin since 1916. It also has appeared on all gold coins and silver dollar coins, half-dollar coins, and quarter-dollar coins struck since July 1, 1908. A law passed by the 84th Congress (P.L. 84-140) and approved by the President on July 30, 1956, the President approved a Joint Resolution of the 84th Congress, declaring IN GOD WE TRUST the national motto of the United States. IN GOD WE TRUST was first used on paper money in 1957, when it appeared on the one-dollar silver certificate. The first paper currency bearing the motto entered circulation on October 1, 1957. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) was converting to the dry intaglio printing process. During this conversion, it gradually included IN GOD WE TRUST in the back design of all classes and denominations of currency. The history notes that the slogan was first used on paper money in 1957, but was not widely on currency until the mid-1960s. If you're an American, all the money in your pocket declares a motto which you may not believe in or, worse, declares something you specifically may * not* believe. Tough: it's there anyway. Thus, you are not being afforded a right *guaranteed* to all citizens by the Constitution's Bill of Rights, hence: *Despite the Constitution, "Freedom of Religion" doesn't include Freedom From Religion.* -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "WebTV Dawgs/Dittos" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. 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