There is a monument on the county courthouse grounds of Houston, Texas. This monument was installed in the 1950's and contains within it, encased under glass, a Bible. According to a panel of the 5th Circuit Court the monument was legal until Christians gathered there to pray. Atheists and the generally ignorant are seeking to have it removed... torn down. They seek to deface their own heritage. But why stop there?
By this tortured logic, the Washington Monument must be torn down should ANY group of Christians choose to use the monument as a site for prayer. Not only was a bible tucked within a recess of one of the cornerstones on July 4, 1848, but inscribed upon the east face of the capstone are the words 'LAUS DEO' or 'Praise be to God'
The Library of Congress must be torn down for the very same reasons, for within its rotunda is a statue of Moses bearing the Ten Commandments. There is also a mural on the ceiling depicting a young Israeli woman raising her hands in prayer to God, and numerous inscriptions bearing such statements as "The heavens declare the glory of God." There are even two bibles on display just down the lobby's main hallway! Heaven help us! Quickly, tear them all down!
There's a stature of Daniel the prophet on the property of the Organization of American States building... Tear it down!
At The Daughters of the American Revolution building, there is an inscription which reads, "Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair the event. The event is in the hands of God." Tear it down!
Inside the Supreme Court's courtroom is a frieze containing the image of Moses with a tablet bearing Hebrew inscriptions. Can anyone deny that this a portion of the Ten Commandments? Tear it Down!
At The Department of the Interior, behind one of the corner walls, is a time capsule and inside is, among other things, a Bible... Tear it Down!
In the middle of a busy intersection on Constitution Avenue, right on federal property, is a statue of General Jose Artigas bearing a cross on the good General's boot... Tear! It! Down!
The Korean Veterans Memorial bears on it's wall the Cross and the Star of David... Tear! It! Down!
Outside the Ronald Reagan building is the "Liberty of Worship" statute depicting a young woman, hands clasped in prayer, leaning on the Ten Commandments! GOOD GOLLY!!! TEAR! IT! DOWN!
Just inside the Rotunda of the U.S. Capital are four paintings depicting 2 prayer meetings, one Bible study, and a Baptism [of Pocahontas]!!! Good Lord! Tear Them Down!!!
On the floor directly beneath the rotunda of the National Archives is the Ten Commandments IN BRONZE!!! Quickly, gouge it out!!!
God is mentioned several times at the Jefferson Memorial including, "God who gave us life, gave us liberty." ...SCRATCH IT OUT, QUICKLY!!!
At the Lincoln Memorial you'll see words like, "Nation under God," "Bible" and "prayer"... Scratch them out!!!
In the Senate and House office buildings, there is a plaque that says "In God we trust." By all means, tear those buildings down too!!!!
What about the Adam's Prayer mantle in the White House!? "I pray Heaven to bestow THE BEST OF BLESSINGS ON THIS HOUSE, and all that shall hereafter inhabit it..." Good Grief! Tear it out of the wall!!!
A painting called "Knowledge" hanging in the North Hall of the Library of Congress bears the following inscription: "Ignorance is the curse of God, Knowledge the wing wherewith we fly to Heaven"... Tear it Down!!!
At the U.S. District Court building a freize depicts a man reaching for a Cross and the Ten Commandments high upon a wisp of cloud... Tear it Down!
The following can be read on the Jefferson Memorial "ALMIGHTY GOD HATH CREATED THE MIND FREE. ALL ATTEMPTS TO INFLUENCE IT BY TEMPORAL PUNISHMENTS OR BURTHENS(sic) ARE A DEPARTURE FROM THE PLAN OF THE HOLY AUTHOR OF OUR RELIGION..." That absolutely MUST come down too!!!
Also in the rotunda of the Library of Congress is a portion of verse by Alfred Lord Tennyson: "One God, One Law, One Element, And One Far-off Divine Event To Which The Whole Creation Moves" For Heaven's sake, tear that down as well!!!!
In fact... LET'S JUST TEAR THE WHOLE DAMNED CITY DOWN!!!!
But why stop there? Let's tear the entire nation down. Let's do the work of Al-Qaeda for them, eh, Senator Reid?
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Since when did a monument bearing anything overtly 'Christian' on government property constitute a violation of the the law? When did the so-called enlightened elite manage to steal the Constitution and replace it with a fraud? ...When Liberal Education raised whole generations of Americans to be cultural ignoramuses.
Finally, there is absolutely no reason why God should bless this nation... None.
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
--Psalm 14:1-3
"The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."
--Psalm 9:17
This is a secular nation of religious people. Not a religious nation, not a Christian nation. Never has been.
"Courthouses should dispense equal justice to all Americans, whether they are Baptists, Buddhists or Bahais," Barry Lynn said. "When the holy scriptures of one faith are displayed at a courthouse, that sends a clear message that one religion is favored over others."
And favoring one religion over another is, in fact, un-American.
How would you feel, EL, to go into a county courthouse that had a Koran in a lighted display case out front, a quote from the Koran over the door and Mohammed etched into the granite over the judge's bench???
I swear, I do not understand how the need to keep matters of faith and matters of justice separate could be any clearer.
Well...despite your "correction", this gives us a good reference point for your position, Rev.
I doubt you surprised anyone around here with this very telling revelation you've shared about yourself.
Gawd! They let people like this re-write history?
Gao help us!
What?
I'm for freedom OF relgion and freedom FROM religion.
Let's see you go to court to deal with a traffic ticket and have to bow to a cow, or swear on a Koran, or stand under a quote from the Book of Mormon.
What part of this is hard to grasp? And, it's Christian fundies who have rewritten history, bubba.
The founders, for the most part, were Christians, yes. Absolutely. And they very specifically formed a secular government -- one that Christians and others could participate in, in the name of liberty.
Read some fricking real history. Start with the history of Baptists in this country.
"Gao" help us, indeed. (Who's he, anyway?)
So don't go ascribing to the erectors a religious motive or acceptance that may not be there.
For your information, Mister Smarty-Pants, Harris County agreed to let the Star of Hope homeless mission erect the monument in 1956 outside the old Civil Courts Building in Houston Texas. The open Bible was displayed in a glass case on top of the stone monument to honor mission benefactor William Mosher.
You needn't have worried BenT, I ascribed to the erectors a religious motive and acceptance of Religion that WAS there...
Why was this allowed in 1956 when it would NEVER be allowed today? Were the powers that be in 1956 ignorant of the law? Did they not understand that enshrining a Bible on government property was UN-constitutional? Of course not, they knew there was nothing wrong with it.
The problem today is, far too many people are ignorant of the Constitution, relying on Media, Liberals, and Atheists to tell them what is allowed IN the public square, ON government property, rather than read the Constitution for themselves. Further, these same ignoramuses are even seemingly incapable of understanding written English-- unable to break down sentence structure to arrive a fairly precise meaning/intent.
As to ER's question, "How would [I] feel?" The question is moot! This nation was founded on Christian principles, not Islamic, not Hindu... not even Shinto! Now, ask me how I'd feel if I went to court in Calcutta and saw references to the Bhagavad-Gita over the entrance. Don't bother, I'll tell you, I'd be thankful I wasn't being tried for a crime in that country! Who am I to dictate to them what they can and cannot believe, or erect monuments to? It is THEIR country, not mine. MY country, while certainly not a Christian nation NOW, was certainly FOUNDED on Christian principles.
Go ahead, tear it all down and see what it gets you. That's what you Libs want anyway. What I want to know is why BenT is taking his vacation this summer in Washington D.C., a city filled with biblical reference and the handprint of its God-fearing builders?
"BenT is ready for his close-up Mr. DeMille!"
Re, "And they very specifically formed a secular government -- one that Christians and others could participate in, in the name of liberty."
That is, if you were a white man of property or wealth.
See EL, that's the point. The country, and its values, change over time. What was "right" in 1789 most certainly is not right today. And what was "right" in Houston in 1956 most certainly is not right today.
Keep on and I'll have to start quotin' Jefferson again ... :-)
Tear it all down and it was matter not a whit. Holy Moses, dude, if the collective remnant of actual, practiced Christian faith in this country rests on monuments and words etched into granite, why, just give it up and throw in the towel.
But it doesn't, and it never has: It rests on the individual faith and practice of individual people, and it always has.
What an insult to God it must have been to force children to recite rote prayers in classrooms! What piffle.
Tear down all the artifice of Christianity in this country, all the pretense. The fakery, on the Left and the Right -- and stand back and watch God act. Watch real revival.
You can have all the plastic kind, and the granite kind, you want.
I don't trust a local government or court seemingly beholden even to the Bible -- because it's usually someone of the fundamentalist persuasion, judgmental as all get-out, merciless as a rule, throw the book at 'em, etc. etc.
Then there's this:
A homosexual in "Judge" Roy Moore's court, for any reason, would NOT get an even break, that is, would not enjoy equal protection under the law, by definition, based on Moore's own public positions and statements.
Big platter of government here, please. Side order of church, thank you.
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Being able to see the worth of things beyond my own personal notions, is one of the benefits of not being a fanatic.
Somehow...I don't believe you, BenTfacts.
Who should I start with. Noam Chomsky?
LOL!
Arthur Schlesinger Jr. would be a good start.
I've read Bent's atheistic rants, and so I am not surprised, but why is ER, who calls himself a Christian, so hell bent on leading America into Hell?
Remember, ER, you will one day stand before your Creator and be called on to give account for your crusade against Christianity.
1., every knee will bow -- no one will stand.
2., my crusade is against state-sponsored religion of all stripes.
3., my views are opposite fundamentalist, unthinking, superstitious, mean-spirited pretenders like yourself with murderous hearts.
Tell me: How can you "call yourself a Christian" and call for murder at the nation's borders, war over diplomacy as a rule, and nuking Iran? (That last thing might not be one of your views, but I wouldn't surprised.)
Actually, I really don't care to know.
I have never advocated war over diplomacy. I have stated when negotiation is proven not to work, war is often an unavoidable and necessary evil.
State sponsored religion is not the issue. State sponsored atheism is. The first amendment guarantees freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion which is what Barry Lynn wants. We true Christians simply want the freedom to worship God in our own way, without government telling us we are not allowed to carry out the Great Commission wherever circumstances demand. There is a higher power than government. It is God. God's commandments take precedence over Uncle Sams.
You could do with a little fundamentalism yourself. You have become so un-fundamentalist that you are now much closer to Satan than God.
And if it takes the nuking of Iran to prevent the genocide of an entire nation (Israel) then, Yes, i would go along with that. Tell me God's chosen people wouldn't agree.
I declare that the Holy Spirit is alive and well and guiding my life. So, if I were you, I'd watch my mouth.
What *is* it that has so filled you with pride and hatred??