Upholding separation of church and state equates to a theocracy

[Foxaèr]

For the past six years I have followed and written sporadically about an obscure lawsuit in a town nobody could locate on a map, noting to the few who would listen that this was one of the most important legal battles being waged in the country. This labor in obscurity has ended this week with the Supreme Court ruling in favor of a return to pre-revolutionary America. That the Court even agreed to take the case is a sign of the end of times.

The Supreme Court agreed with arguments that undermine our most cherished founding principle, the separation of church and state. As you absorb the folly to come, forget not that early settlers made the arduous journey to our shores in part to escape the stifling oppression of a dominant religion. The urgent need to rid the government from the influence of a single religion was Thomas Jefferson's unifying and guiding light. But Jeffersonian principles have been set aside for the convenience of promoting Christianity over all other religions. Welcome to the United States of Saudi Arabia.

The epicenter of our shift to a theocracy can be found in Greece, New York, where something seemingly innocent enough in fact threatens to undermine the foundational ideals of our country. In Greece, New York, the town supervisor each month invites a local Christian minister to open the council's meeting with a Christian prayer.

The obvious problem, of course, is that not all citizens believe Christ is our savior. No big deal, you say? What is the problem, you ask? Would any Christian or Jew tolerate a town meeting opened exclusively with an Islamic prayer from the Quran? How would our Christian citizens feel if the meeting were opened with pleas to Allah? Or if the opening prayer was done in Hebrew? The answer is obvious and self-evident: It would be offensive, and clearly counter to the ideal of freedom of religion. That reality simply cannot be denied. Still not convinced? Then imagine an imam, bearded and turbaned, in traditional dress, standing before our United States Congress, invoking the Quran to open every session of the House and Senate. Not comfortable with that? Then imagine how every Jew, Muslim and atheist feels with each opening of a government meeting with a Christian prayer.

For this rather obvious reason the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court ruled that such public government-sponsored prayer violated the separation of church and state. If a town council cannot impose Islam on its residents, then the council cannot impose Christianity.

He goes on to write a bunch of stuff.

Then the conclusion:

The Supreme Court ruling is another giant leap toward theocracy. We are descending to new lows, where non-Christians are openly scorned, made to stand up in public to be identified as outcasts. Our founding fathers are crying in shame and frustration. Welcome to the United States of Iran. Every American should today weep for our country.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-schwe...68488.html

Am I just reading this all wrong because I am tired or is this guy just insane?

[Minimalist]

He's right. This is what happens when you don't persecute xtians. Power goes to their heads.

[Minimalist]

But once again....the Law of Unintended Consequences is a cast-iron bitch.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/09/fl...ic-prayer/

Less than three days after the Supreme Court ruled in Town of Greece v. Galloway that prayers before town meetings did not violate the Constitution’s ban on endorsing religion, a self-styled Satanist in Deerfield Beach, Florida has asked city officials to let him open a meeting with a Satanic prayer.

“I just want equal billing. We allow various religious nutjobs to give a prayer. They pray to Jesus who is make-believe, god who is make-believe, why not Satan who is make-believe?”

“Why discriminate against one make-believe god over another?

[kılıç_mehmet]

How can you NOT seperate Church and State in the USA? There are like a billion Churches and denominations in the US, too heterogenous to actually maintain a relationship between Church and the State.

[Minimalist]

Each one thinks they are god's special little project, mehmet.

[kılıç_mehmet]

Each one thinks they are god's special little project, mehmet.

Well, that's fine by me, but advocating a unification of the church and state is not possible in the US, and frankly, I don't think it ever was.
The Christians of the US need to adhere to a single communion and probably need a Monarch to do that.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

For the past six years I have followed and written sporadically about an obscure lawsuit in a town nobody could locate on a map, noting to the few who would listen that this was one of the most important legal battles being waged in the country. This labor in obscurity has ended this week with the Supreme Court ruling in favor of a return to pre-revolutionary America. That the Court even agreed to take the case is a sign of the end of times.

The Supreme Court agreed with arguments that undermine our most cherished founding principle, the separation of church and state. As you absorb the folly to come, forget not that early settlers made the arduous journey to our shores in part to escape the stifling oppression of a dominant religion. The urgent need to rid the government from the influence of a single religion was Thomas Jefferson's unifying and guiding light. But Jeffersonian principles have been set aside for the convenience of promoting Christianity over all other religions. Welcome to the United States of Saudi Arabia.

The epicenter of our shift to a theocracy can be found in Greece, New York, where something seemingly innocent enough in fact threatens to undermine the foundational ideals of our country. In Greece, New York, the town supervisor each month invites a local Christian minister to open the council's meeting with a Christian prayer.

The obvious problem, of course, is that not all citizens believe Christ is our savior. No big deal, you say? What is the problem, you ask? Would any Christian or Jew tolerate a town meeting opened exclusively with an Islamic prayer from the Quran? How would our Christian citizens feel if the meeting were opened with pleas to Allah? Or if the opening prayer was done in Hebrew? The answer is obvious and self-evident: It would be offensive, and clearly counter to the ideal of freedom of religion. That reality simply cannot be denied. Still not convinced? Then imagine an imam, bearded and turbaned, in traditional dress, standing before our United States Congress, invoking the Quran to open every session of the House and Senate. Not comfortable with that? Then imagine how every Jew, Muslim and atheist feels with each opening of a government meeting with a Christian prayer.

For this rather obvious reason the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court ruled that such public government-sponsored prayer violated the separation of church and state. If a town council cannot impose Islam on its residents, then the council cannot impose Christianity.

He goes on to write a bunch of stuff.

Then the conclusion:

The Supreme Court ruling is another giant leap toward theocracy. We are descending to new lows, where non-Christians are openly scorned, made to stand up in public to be identified as outcasts. Our founding fathers are crying in shame and frustration. Welcome to the United States of Iran. Every American should today weep for our country.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-schwe...68488.html

Am I just reading this all wrong because I am tired or is this guy just insane?

No, Kit, what he's saying is that your Supreme Court is eroding the separation of church and state by overturning a lower court ruling that upheld it. The SC ruled that it is perfectly OK for the town in question to open government meetings with a Christian prayer.

Boru

[CapnAwesome]

I disagree with the supreme court, but this is a silly overreaction. In Saudi Arabia women can't drive and people have no religious freedon, Atheism is outlawed. In the United States we have to sit through brief, obnoxious prayers. I wish every argument didn't need to descend into ridiculous hyperbole.

[Elskidor]

It's all that hyperbole that helps correct screwy traditions. Why should people settle for less just because Saudi Arabia does it differently?

[Faith No More]

The Christians of the US need to adhere to a single communion and probably need a Monarch to do that.

Haha...the only end possible if the Christian Right took over in the U.S. is total dictatorship. They'd want complete control.