http:///content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2009/11/sc-license-tag-with-cross-and-i-believe-ruled-unconstitutional/1
Yes, In South Carolina there is a battle going on by people who simply want to express their religious beliefs on their car
Also ,
This one is so sad to me. And yes, I know that the Bible states that these things would happen, but to the anonymous commenter who said that we should not be upset by it, I am sorry, but I am. I am saddened, outraged, and disgusted by a lot that is happening now. And although it is prophecy fulfilled, I do not feel that I am supposed to sit quietly by and watch as my belief, my rights, and my God are degraded, trampled on, and pushed out. Jesus's Death was prophecy also, so was Peter's betrayal, however I just don't think that I could have sat peacefully by, smiling to myself as I watched it all happen. Prophecy or not, it stinks.
This is yet another matter of ''Separation of Church and State''. So....how many of you think that this is actually IN The Constitution? http://www.allabouthistory.org/separation-of-church-and-state.htm IT IS NOT! Read this exerpt from the preceeding link if you do not wish to read the whole article.
"Separation of church and state" is a common metaphor that is well recognized. Equally well recognized is the metaphorical meaning of the church staying out of
The constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Both the free exercise clause and the establishment clause place restrictions on the government concerning laws they pass or interfering with religion. No restrictions are placed on religions except perhaps that a religious denomination cannot become
This will be a rather long post. I watched a Documentary last night on PBS, called ''Secrets of the Dead-The Battle for the Bible'' It was very enlightening to me, and I want to share what I have learned. You do not have to come along on this journey if you do not wish, however I think it is extremely important that we know the truth about this whole ''Separation of Church and State''. They use the First Amendment to control what we can and cannot say, wear, or hang in our offices. It is outrageous, since the First Amendment actually was written so that the government CANNOT decide how we are allowed to express our religious beliefs! I had been taught that our forefathers came to this country simply because they did not agree with or like the Catholic religion in the way it was worshiped at that time, and so they came here to start their own. While this is a very watered down version of the truth, it does not at all explain what they went through, or how dedicated they were to their beliefs and their God. Here...is the whole story as much as I can put here....
In the 1500s, In England, the only Bibles were from the Old Testament, and were not allowed to be read by the public. The Roman Catholic Church had the only translations, and there were no English translations for common people to read. This meant that only Priests/Church Leaders were allowed to read the Bible, only their interpretations were accepted, and that these were accepted as law, since the Government ran the Church.Church attendance was not by choice, it was mandatory for all citizens. Basically, the government interpreted the Bible the way it saw fit and citizens were forced to comply. Among these beliefs were that Mass, Communion, and good deeds were the only way into heaven.
A few people were able to translate the Bible for themsleves, and felt that the Church's interpretation was wrong, and the wealth the Church was obtaining from the people through religion was sickening. Three of these men were, William Tindale, John Wycliff, and Thomas Cranmer. These three men began to translate the Bible into English so that everyone could read it for themselves and make their own judgments. Of course the church did not like this at all, for it allowed the people, for the first time in history, to read the Bible and to decide for themselves.
Wycliff was born around 1320. He became convinced that the Scripture Itself, and NOT the Mass and Communion rituals, was the ONLY way into heaven. He and others who were translating or reading the Bible began to be persecuted and reading the Bible became illegal and considered heresy in 1407. However, Wycliff had died in 1384, but the spreading of the Bible, known as Lollarday, had continued far after his death. Many of his friends had been burned at the stake for heresy because of their beliefs. The Government was so determined to stop the spread of the Bible, and the followers of Wycliff that in 1428, the already dead Wycliff was tried for heresy, found guilty of 267 counts, his bones were resumed, and his body-dead for 44 years- was burned at the stake. I am so proud to say, ''No, this did not stop the spread of God's word.''
The next man I wish to talk about here is William Tindale.
Tindale had been translating the Bible into English for a few years, when , in 1524, he had to flee the country, most likely to Germany, as it was, at that time , legal to translate and print Bibles in Germany. He released a version of the Old and New Testament in 1526.
In 1535, Tindale befriended and hired a man named Henry Phillips. Henry told Tindale that he was a Christian, and seeing a fellow believer down on his luck, he gave the man a job, and shared the details of his smuggling operation.One night Henry invited Tindale to dinner, but it was a trap. Henry betrayed him, and Tindale was deported to Brussels, where he was imprisoned. He was found guilty of heresy and spent a year in prison, never hearing his native tongue,English, spoken.There was never any question that he would be executed as this was the punishment for heresy, however it was decided that he would be strangled first, to make it more ''humane''. So a rope was put around his neck, and a stick placed in the rope, and twisted, until he was strangled unconscious. Sadly, he regained consciousness while burning alive at the stake. He yelled,''Dear God please open the King's eyes!'' Tindale never got to hear his beloved Bible read in his native tongue.
For a while after that, the religious pendulum swung back and forth from Protestant to Catholic. King Henry VIII wanted a divorce because his wife was barren and he wanted a son. When the pope refused to grant him one, he had to find a church that would. So the Protestants were on top for a while and Thomas Cranmer, who was greatly influenced by Luther, pulled the King in that direction. At his death, Mary, his sister, became Queen. She was a fierce Catholic who had Cranmer, along with 300 other Protestants burned at the stake. When Mary died, her sister, Elizabeth took the throne, and attempted to make peace between the two religions, but could not. Her attempts became what is known as the Catholic Church of today, a little of the Protestant beliefs but still holding to the Mass, Communion, and having a Priest intercede for salvation. The Puritans/Protestants were not happy with this. They felt the Church still was ruled by government, and so were their beliefs.Then King James took the throne.
King James was determined to bring peace to Europe. The country was ripped apart by these religious wars, and he meant to stop it. He called conferences with both Puritans and Catholics in attendance. The group argued for quite a while but could reach no agreement. Finally a Puritan suggested that a NEW Bible, and NEW translation, be written that would be more acceptable to both parties. King James agreed and the King James Bible was created, as a way to appease both sides. This version was adopted as law.
The Puritans, who could not accept still being forced to accept some of the Catholic Doctrine, and having their religious views still punishable by law, left England and formed the colonies.
So no, our ''forefathers'' did NOT form this country just because they didn't ''like'' the way things were done in the Catholic Church, they were actually KILLED if they did not follow GOVERNMENT'S rules as to whether or not they could express their beliefs! And they did NOT create The First Amendment to stop kids from praying in school, or the 10 Commandments from being displayed in government worker's offices. They DIED to preserve or right to do just that....express our religion, whether the government agrees with it or not. They were tired of being persecuted,and punished for ''breaking government ruling'' on their beliefs. Sound familiar?
Here is the entire First Amendment:
Bill of Rights
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging theSeems to me like they are twisting, misinterpreting, and using our rights......to take away our rights.
By, Angela Mason
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