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Religion News Blog Archives
Religion News Blog posts insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domain of the religion facet of life. Religion News Blog: Freedom-from-Religion News 1 In defense of freedom from religion: Jul 6, 2007 by Sarah Stravinska This is in response to Keavin Keith’s letter on June 27 questioning “freedom from religion.” First, I would like to commend Keavin for writing. It is nice to hear the opinions of an articulate young person. If you had to take a long bus trip to work, and every day some Osama bin Laden-type stood up and screeched that your religion was all wrong and you were an infidel etc., you would begin to appreciate the desire for “freedom from religion.” How would LSU fare if a chemistry teacher spent more time lecturing on his version of religion instead of chemistry? Students would be furious. We have the right to preach in public places, but not to a trapped audience. Our freedom includes praying in public, but if it is loud enough to spoil someone else’s enjoyment of a movie or a meal, or his concentration at a lecture, then you are imposing on HIS freedoms. Going on about religion at inappropriate times and places just makes people angry. It doesn’t win converts; it only makes the self-styled preacher look prideful, foolish and insensitive. Religion News Blog: Freedom-from-Religion News 2 ‘Freedom-From-Religion’ group defeated in bid to limit Faith-Based conferences: June 25th, 2007 WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday barred ordinary taxpayers from challenging a White House initiative helping religious charities get a share of federal money. The 5-4 decision dealt with a suit by a group of atheists and agnostics against eight Bush administration officials including the head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The taxpayers’ group, the Freedom From Religion Foundation Inc., objected to government conferences in which administration officials encourage religious charities to apply for federal grants. Religion News Blog: Freedom-from-Religion News 3 Freedom From Religion? It’s not in the Constitution: June 25th, 2007 by Dave In another discussion thread, I recently mentioned the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution, saying that it is meant (in part) “to ensure freedom of religion, not freedom from religion”. This assertion drew some howls and catcalls from our left-wing opponents, so I thought it would be useful to review this principle a bit more. I suppose some may find the notion a bit too centrist for their taste. But perhaps we should consider what some notable political figures have upheld (in their words at least, even if not in deeds) on this subject: Religion News Blog: Freedom-from-Religion News 3 (Continued) Sometimes I think the environment in which we operate is entirely too secular. The fact that we have freedom of religion doesn’t mean we need to try to have freedom from religion. It doesn’t mean that those of us who have faith shouldn’t frankly admit that we are animated by the faith, that we try to live by it, and that it does affect what we feel, what we think, and what we do. – William Jefferson Clinton (August 30, 1993) Religion News Blog: Freedom-from-Religion News 3 (Continued) As a people, we need to reaffirm our faith and renew the dedication of our nation and ourselves to God and God’s purpose […] The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. - Joseph Lieberman (August 27, 2000) Religion News Blog: Freedom from Religion News 3 (Continued) I believe strongly in the separation of church and state. But freedom of religion need not mean freedom from religion. There is a better way. […] The history of the United States has proven our founders’ wisdom. They believed — and I believe — that we can protect against the establishment of religion without infringing in any way on its free exercise. That belief is at the very heart of our Constitution. And we must keep on working to make it a reality in our public life. - Al Gore (October 15, 2000) Religion News Blog: Freedom from Religion News 3 (Continued) I do believe in the separation of church and state. But I don’t think separation of church and state means you have to be free from your faith. My faith informs everything I think and do. It’s part of my value system. And to suggest that I can somehow separate and divorce that from the rest of me is not possible. […] Freedom of religion doesn’t mean freedom from religion. And I think that anything we can do to promote the idea that people should express their faith is a good thing. – John Edwards (March 4, 2007) Religion News Blog: Freedom from Religion News 3 (Continued) Did they really mean what they said? Or were they just pandering to the electorate, in an attempt to gain some votes from religious-minded people? Knowing how politicians can be, it is so much easier to “talk the talk” than it is to “walk to walk”. I suppose you’ll have to judge according to their actions, rather than their rhetoric. But I digress. Religion News Blog: Freedom from Religion News 3 (Continued) The point is that there was a good purpose, politically speaking, in saying such things. Acknowledging that “freedom of religion” does not mean “freedom from religion” is something that resonates very well with the mainstream of America. Over 90% of Americans believe in God, even while they may organize themselves into a patchwork quilt of varying denominations. Religion News Blog: Freedom from Religion News 3 (Continued) Those who argue for “freedom-from-religion” want to ban religious expression from the public square. It’s the domain of groups like FFRF – Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. – whose primarily atheist supporters seek to promote a strict “separation of church and state” that far exceeds what’s actually written into the Bill of Rights. Consequently, they seek to narrowly confine freedom of religion. In their view, religion should be limited to our private lives, at homes or in churches, and it should never inform our judgment in public affairs or public life. Religion News Blog: Freedom from Religion News 3 (Continued) The way it’s been going lately with the Democratic party being effectively hijacked by the most radical of the left-wingers and the “politically correct” crowd – or as Ann Coulter so aptly describes them in her book, the “godless” – we are tending to hear them speak more often in support of “freedom from religion”. And that’s something we ought to watch very closely, because of its potential danger to our hard-won freedom of religious expression. Religion News Blog: Freedom from Religion News 3 (Continued) When you stop to think about it, even atheist secularism is a belief system. In excluding other belief systems from public life on the basis of “freedom from religion”, secularism enjoys an unfair advantage. It tends to become the de-facto religion of our country, because all other faiths are suppressed under this principle. Is this what our Founding Fathers envisioned? Certainly not! Religion News Blog Comment: Freedom of religion reminds me of freedom from religion. The Freedom From Religion Foundation is an American free thought organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. Its purposes, as stated in its bylaws, are to promote the constitutional principle of separation of church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to atheism. Freedom of Religion Act, also known as The Religious Freedom Restoration Act is a 1993 United States federal law aimed at preventing laws which substantially burden a person's free exercise of their religion. Okay, what is religion? Isn't religion a target for my devotion? My devotion to an ideal! Generally a supernatural one! All things natural seem and feel to us too mundane to be having real substance in them. So we develop a supernatural idea, make it our ideal, and then get devoted to it. We do need our freedom of religion for doing that. And this is what the definition of religion is. Now, what does adulthood mean? Or, what SHOULD adulthood mean? Naturally, coming out of this dependence on the adults around having their faith in a certain religion; and standing on her/his own biological and intellectual feet! In other words, freedom from dependence! Freedom from biological dependence! Freedom from intellectual dependence! Freedom from faith! Freedom from devotion! Freedom from values! In other words, freedom from morals! Freedom from any attachment to these! In other words, freedom from emotions! Total freedom! In other words, salvation! Freedom from religion as well, along with all the other attachments on earth! I invite you to subscribe to my E-zine titled Life Coach, free of charge. This E-zine publishes insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domains of various facets of life. A not-to-be-missed opportunity! Subscribe to it here: I also invite you to subscribe to my Life Blog - no need to provide your e-mail address here. This RSS feed keeps you informed about new developments taking place on this site. It also harbors 25 journal bloglets posting insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domains of various facets of life. 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Return from Freedom from Religion to Freedom of Religion
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