I think it's pretty important in the aspects of not having an oligarchy (church runs the country) but some of the things it entails and the extremes some people take it to are rediculous.
The Church of England or the Anglican Church IS the dominant religion of the UK. However, Talo was talking about the US constitution, not the UK's. I don't know much about the UK constitution though.
Yep CofE is our official national religion. We even have some Bishops in the House of Lords just because they are CofE. In short our constitution is uncodified, ie, it isn't written down in any single place, but it has about 5 main sources.
Again, NOT a christian nation, just has a majority of them
Yeah, a country BASED on Christianity. This subject is highly debatable, so there is no right answer. I believe they should be together, but not that much because we need to focus on school while we're at school. Aren't there schools for other religions? This wouldn't be a free nation if we didn't express other religions freely.
Not sure if it has been brought up yet, but oh well.
Part of the whole seperation ordeal is making it so that churches are tax exempt. This really bothers me. I work hard for what I have, day after day. I get taxed for working, when I barely make enough as it is. Yet the churches (yes, plural) I can see from my window pay nothing in taxes. They are always constantly getting improvements done. One of the largest ones in my town recently got the entire roof redone. In pure copper roofing.
If the government insists on draining it's citizens dry, why not get it from every resource possible? Why are the religions above the typical working man and woman? What makes them so special that they are above one of the laws which affects everyother business and person in this country?
One of the local priests here drives a brand new Scion. Another one a blasted Mercedes.
WE pay TO the church not the government our money doesn't go to our political opinions but our religious opinions, it goes to spreading what we believe and the upkeep of our church. We're not aloud to have anything political in our church (except Jerimah Wright grr) we just mind our own bussiness.
Not at all. Many founding father were not Christian or even opposed Christianity, such as; Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, George Washington, James Monroe, Ethan Allen, James Madison.
Not at all. Many founding father were not Christian or even opposed Christianity, such as; Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, George Washington, James Monroe, Ethan Allen, James Madison.
Where did you get that information? Please back your argument since I am not sure what if what you said is true.
Not sure if it has been brought up yet, but oh well.
Part of the whole seperation ordeal is making it so that churches are tax exempt. This really bothers me. I work hard for what I have, day after day. I get taxed for working, when I barely make enough as it is. Yet the churches (yes, plural) I can see from my window pay nothing in taxes. They are always constantly getting improvements done. One of the largest ones in my town recently got the entire roof redone. In pure copper roofing.
If the government insists on draining it's citizens dry, why not get it from every resource possible? Why are the religions above the typical working man and woman? What makes them so special that they are above one of the laws which affects everyother business and person in this country?
One of the local priests here drives a brand new Scion. Another one a blasted Mercedes.
This just...seems wrong.
That seems wrong! Priests driving luxury cars, spending money on useless efforts. Why do priests need copper roofs and expensive cars? If they are trying to preach the gospel than why do they need expensive cars. Anyway, in my specific religion the clergy is not paid through donations so they do not drive around in luxury cars unless they earned the money themselves. Those churches somehow receive money from people who think it will be used for good and they do use it for good or bad.
Hell, even in my school, which is a Catholic private school, they ask for donations to be used for the poor but they do keep some money for themselves. Even the school itself is vandalized and looks ugly but they have enough money to renovate the school. That is an example of how much they waste money in my school.
Devoidles
WE pay TO the church not the government our money doesn't go to our political opinions but our religious opinions, it goes to spreading what we believe and the upkeep of our church. We're not aloud to have anything political in our church (except Jerimah Wright grr) we just mind our own bussiness.
We pay the government in everything we buy and most things we use. Where did you get your twisted idea?
Where did you get that information? Please back your argument since I am not sure what if what you said is true.
"I wish it (Christianity) were more productive of good works ... I mean real good works ... not holy-day keeping, sermon-hearing ... or making long prayers, filled with flatteries and compliments despised by wise men, and much less capable of pleasing the Deity."--- Benjamin Franklin, Works, Vol. VII, p. 75
And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerve in the brain of Jupiter. But may we hope that the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in these United States will do away with this artificial scaffolding, and restore to us the primitive and genuine doctrines of this most venerated reformer of human errors.
-Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823
"All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit" -Thomas Paine
Twenty times in the course of my late reading have I been on the point of breaking out, "This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it!!!"
-John Adams
Sorry, but I do not feel like finding quotes to support the others at this time.
"I wish it (Christianity) were more productive of good works ... I mean real good works ... not holy-day keeping, sermon-hearing ... or making long prayers, filled with flatteries and compliments despised by wise men, and much less capable of pleasing the Deity."--- Benjamin Franklin, Works, Vol. VII, p. 75
That doesn't necessarily mean that Benjamin Franklin hated Christianity, that just proved that he wanted more good works and not useless time wasting acts.
Now then, the US is not based on Christianity, it is supposed to tolerate all religions and not favor a single one. The catch is, that MOST Americans now and in that time were Christian. So you can say that the US has a Christian majority which has a good amount of influence in the government. Obviously the founding fathers did not want that.
The Treaty of Tripoli, passed by the U.S. Senate in 1797, read in part: "The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."
I think that the separation of the church and the state is a good thing because if it was in the state and public schools, then there would just be a massload of fighting between what religeon is right and what religeon is wrong, like in europe during the crusades and stuff, and we would no longer really have the government we have today (although it is sort of messed up), and it would be much more messed up from the different churches trying to take power. Also, in my opinion, and im just throwing this out there, but they really haven't done a very good job of keeping the church out of the state, I mean you see religeon everywhere, even in public schools every now and then. It's even in the pledge of Allegience!!!
Anyway, conclusion: keeping state and church separated is a good thing.
