Why we have Separation of Church and State

Posted by Bob Weber on Dec 19th, 2007 in Ideological Misconceptions, Religion | 0 comments

There is constantly a huge discussion about the Separation of Church and State here in the US. This discussion resolves around many issues ranging from major items like the removal of state sanctioned prayer by students in public schools, Roe v. Wade and the teaching of evolution in public schools to stupid issues like removal of the Ten Commandments in public buildings, removal of the cross on Mount Soledad and restricting Christmas decorations on public property.

The more devout among us seem to regard the idea of Separation of Church and State as an affront to our Creator. They consider a godless government as a sure-fire path to destruction. While that stance may have some validity, an article on the front page of yesterday’s Wall Street Journal really struck a chord – reminding me why the Freedom of Religion is a good thing.

Russian President Vladmir Putin, by all accounts, is a downright scary man. Some would consider him borderline evil. He has brought stability to a Russia that has been in chaos since the end of the cold war – but at what price. Putin has little regard for civil liberties, been accused of orchestrating assasinations on foriegn soil and is oddly remeniscent of his bolshevik predecessors.

One thing Putin knows, that escaped the Communists, was the power of the Church. Putin has embraced the Russian Orthodox Church with open arms, even receiving a public blessing for his heir-appearant First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Using one’s personal religious beliefs to bolster public support (a tactic President Bush has been accused of using), while suspect, is fairly common and accepted. Using the head of a country’s largest religous institution, in this case Patriarch Alexy II f the Russian Orthodox Church, to receive an endorsement from God himself is a step beyond.

Separation of Church and State may not be a perfect policy when it comes to the public morality, but it is much preferred to the alternative. Any time the heads of the Church and the heads of Government begin to collude and abuse their power over the public we are reminded of how great the American Constitution is. We may constantly fight over these issues… but at least we are free to fight.

Rosie scared of Christians

Posted by Bob Weber on Sep 28th, 2006 in Our Changing World, Religion | 1 comment

Not sure how I missed this, but a couple of weeks ago on the View, new host Rosie O’Donnell addressed the threat of Radical Christians.

Rosie thinks that

Radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America where we have separation of church and state.

What???? OK, so she’s probably upset that she can’t marry her girlfriend, but opposing Gay Marriage is a long way from bombing, riots and murder.

Rosie went on to add

“…we are bombing innocent people in other countries. True or false?”

So she is holding the Radical Chrisitian community responsible for Afghanistan and Iraq? This is not just wrong, it’s delusional. It is a FACT that the vast majority congress, liberals and conservative, have repeatedly supported the war effort. In our last presidential election, John Kerry, who was definitely NOT supported by the christian community, did not ONCE come out and publicly promise to end the war. He danced around the issue like a little girl, critizing President Bush’s actions, but offering no real alternative.

Since it’s beginning, the majority of Americans (religious or not) have to some degree supported the war. Anti-war efforts have been limited to people like Cindy Sheehan who are on the fringe of society. Few have had the conviction to speak out against it publicly like Sheehan has, and most of them have been ridiculed. O’Donnell’s attempt to blame Radical Christians for bombing Iraq is just a pathetic attempt to rewrite history, place blame on a group she dosen’t personally like and associate that group with Muslim terrorists.

Mohammed’s head on a plate

Posted by Bob Weber on Sep 27th, 2006 in Our Changing World, Religion | 0 comments

Earlier this week, Berlin’s German Opera removed an interpretation of Mozart’s “Idomeneo” from it’s schedule due to fear of Islamic attacks on this opera. The reason for these fears, the closing scene of the opera depicts the decapitated heads of Jesus Christ, Buddha, the Greek god Poseidon and, of course, Mohammed.

Now, as a Christian, I personally find the idea of this ending distasteful, offensive and perhaps even blasphemous, but I’m not going to attack the Opera to stop it. In fact, I think they should continue with the show. As long as I don’t have to support it, they should be able produce anything they want. I’m not going to attack the Opera, or Germany. To my knowledge no Christian groups have threatened to attack the Opera. In fact there is no concern of physical action by Buddhists or Poseidon worshipers either. Amazing how this so called “religion of peace” has everyone scared to death.

Fortunately, there is a voice of reason. German officials are encouraging the Opera to continue with their show. In fact, culture minister Bernd Neumann is quoted as saying:

“If worries about possible protests lead to self-censorship, that threatens democratic culture. It requires tolerance and courage from us all: tolerance in the face of uncomfortable opinions and courage in the face of controversy. You cannot solve problems by being silent.”

Bow To Allah

Posted by Bob Weber on Sep 20th, 2006 in Religion | 0 comments

Ok, one last comment on the whole Pope/Muslim thing. I found a couple very astute comments that really bring up a great point that I overlooked.

This isn’t about getting the Pope to realize he was wrong, or to realize he hurt Muslims’ feelings. It’s about making the world’s most prominent Christian leader appear subservient to Islam.

For more evidence of this look at this picture.

Classic Islamic law stipulates that Christians may live in peace in Islamic societies as long as they accept second-class status as dhimmis, which involves living within certain limits: not holding authority over Muslims, paying the jizya tax, not building new churches or repairing old ones, and…not insulting Allah or Muhammad. If they believe that a Christian has insulted them in some way, even inadvertently, his contract of protection — dhimma — is voided.

I know I REFUSE to be any of those freak’s dhimma.

ex-Muslim Insight

Posted by Bob Weber on Sep 18th, 2006 in Our Changing World, Religion | 0 comments

For those of you interested in the worldwide state of Islam Isaac Schrödinger – ex-muslim has some interesting insights.

Also, consider donating to his legal fund. The Canadians are considering deporting him back to Pakistan where he could likely be excuted for his Apostacy and Blasphemy.