Religous freedom

Big fight in Blogland over religion.

Makes me think of the founding fathers and religion.

How many of them were arrested for their belief or non belief in God. Boy did they have differences in opinion over just what God was or was not.

Everytime I hear the arguements I come away from them happy to be American.

Happy for the First Ammendment to the constitution.

Happy for the words

"...Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

The first ammendment that gives you the free speech? Also protects our religious beliefs. That would be the right to believe in what ever you do or don't believe.

That would be between you and your heart.

I'm a Christian.

And I can guarantee that some of the stuff being said about Christianity may hold for some folks beliefs but not for others.

In the subset of Christian belief, there are a whole lot of differences.

Differences on such things as predestination, what the 10 commandments are, wheither your religious leaders can marry or divorce, wheither communion is symbolic or the actual blood and body of Christ, even what things you have to do to actually get into Heaven.

About the only thing that folks have in common is that they believe that Jesus was God's son on earth. That's honestly about it. And even then there are arguements about it.

We don't know whose right until we die.

The beauty of the first ammendment is that it protects folks ability to believe in God or not. It allows for the freedom to choose. Recognizes the right of the individual freedom of choice.

All this fuss? I don't get it. Under the US Constitution you or I don't owe anyone an explaination of our religious beliefs.

There are places where that choice is determined by government.

If you lived there I could understand the anger. But not here. Sure folks are going to disagree with you. Some of them will be nice and some won't.

At the end of the day it's the individual  heart's decision.

I always tell folks that I'm happy to share my religious beliefs if they would like to know them. But when I die, I don't want God (remember I believe in God) to tell me I was wrong in my beliefs. That my wrong beliefs led others astray. I think God would be much more forgiving if I'm wrong if I've been tolerant of others beliefs rather than dictotorial.

I just wanted to tell you this. By lumping Christians into the same general group and then saying that they all believe the same  you are being the same intollerant  that you're saying others are.

There is  alot of anger about religion. I can imagine from what I'm seeing that others have been intolerant of you. Not good. Hugs.

But  in America? You don't have this fight.

It's the First Ammendment.

See:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Over and over the US Supreme Court upholds this notion.

Liberal or Conservative.

Take care.

May all your "mistakes" be happy ones.

Road trip?.

Where does the time go