Brian37
Forum Master
Joined: Oct 04, 2003
Posts: 10155
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 Posted:
Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:23 am |
 
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I am tired of the right wing claim that the Constitution is the sole property of Christians, with guests welcome.
There is no mention of the god of Jesus anywhere in that law document. IF the founders intended for Christianity to hold a monopoly on the drivers seat, it would have been wise for them to mention Jesus or Christianity. THEY DID NOT.
The First Amendment alone FORBIDS favoritism by government on the issue of religion.
The Constitution also forbids religion being a "test" to hold office, "NO RELIGIOUS TEST"
AND, the oath of office, when people hear a politician say "So help me God", THAT PART is voluntary, NOT MANDATORY. WHICH is why Joe Lieberman could have, if he so chose, swear in on a Talmud. WHICH is why Keith Ellison(sp) swore in on a Quran once owned by Thomas Jefferson. And WHICH is why atheist Pete Stark could, if he so chose, swear in on a copy of "The God Delusion". Or, if he wanted, just simply took the oath without putting his hand on ANY BOOK.
IT IS A MYTH THAT THE CONSTITUTION IS THE PROPERTY OF CHRISTIANITY. It is the property of all citizens born here or naturalized. We have always been a nation of immigrants and a nation of pluralism.
The beauty of OUR Constitution, is not in how humans interpret it, or the history of of this nation.
The beauty is in the WAY it was written and words in it, that allow, when people get involved, to fight to become part of the mainstream. The Constitution is a useless tool when no one picks it up, or blindly allow others to claim ownership of it, at the exclusion of others. The beauty of the Constitution is that it is OURS, both left and right, rich and poor, believer or not.
The Constitution is the property of all citizens, not just the majority or the people we agree with.
I am glad to see the right wing theocratic movement fail. For far too long Christians have falsely claimed a monopoly on what it means to be a "true" American.
An American, to me, is simply a law abiding individual, born here or naturalized, no matter their race, class or religion. What makes America great, is that we are NOT a nation of clones, but a nation of individuals. |
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