The Jeff Sessions "Religious Liberty Task Force"

[CapnAwesome]

%75 of Americans are Christians. Almost all of Congress is. Just who is going to infringe on their rights? Persecution complex much?

I know, right? The persecution complex drives me crazy. Poor Christian's can't,.......do what exactly? I mean what aren't they allowed to do that other people can?

[Angrboda]

For good or for ill, any government intervention on behalf of religion is going to favor the majority by simple consequence of the fact that they are the majority. Even if the religious task force is implemented fairly, that means that efforts to protect religious minorities will be fewer than those undertaken to protect Christians against persecution and discrimination. That on its own seems enough to guarantee that it fails constitutional muster. I think the founding fathers had it right in keeping government and religion completely separate. Both Bush and Trump administrations have sought to get around that separation by implementing pro-religious policies through mechanisms other than passing laws, thus doing an end run around the first amendment. The end result is essentially guaranteed, more money and resources will go to protecting one religion than any other.

(And this is beyond the fact that supposed discrimination against Christianity is largely a myth, so the implementation of a religious task force is likely to end up discriminating in favor of Christianity by championing false claims of discrimination, pushing religious minorities further into the background. I'm extremely skeptical of any supposed benefit to religious minorities from such a task force. Protection of religious minorities has perennially gotten the shaft, and now it's simply going to be justified by an appeal to the majority status of Christianity, regardless of whether there's any such need or not.)

[Mr.wizard]

What religious liberties are under attack?

[Angrboda]

If this task force has any teeth, I'd like to see it attack Trump's efforts to curtail and limit Muslim immigration, but we know that's not gonna happen.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I've always wondered why you need to go to specific buildings to talk to an omnipresent God that can read your mind.

I'm pretty sure that it was Hitchens who pointed out the mind-wobbling illogic of nuns bathing in covered tubs so that the Almighty wouldn't be offended by their nudity. It seems that God can see into the very depths of time and space, but is stymied by a bit of canvas sheet.

Boru

[Joods]

Well hopefully the lawmakers remind them of this thing called the constitution. It's there for a reason.

How do you think this goes against the constitution? It’s goal seems to be safeguarding religious liberty protected by the constitution.

It goes against the constitution because it is a direct violation of the separation of church and state. If you can't see that then you need to remove your rose colored glasses.

[Minimalist]

I think that you opinion has little to do with anything I have said or believe, but rather is a straw man built up for you to knock down.

But I really don't give a flying fuck what you think.  You are just one more shithead with a bible seeking to impose it on others.

[LadyForCamus]

I've always wondered why you need to go to specific buildings to talk to an omnipresent God that can read your mind.

He gets off on it.

[RoadRunner79]

How do you think this goes against the constitution?  It’s goal seems to be safeguarding religious liberty protected by the constitution.

It goes against the constitution because it is a direct violation of the separation of church and state. If you can't see that then you need to remove your rose colored glasses.

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

The phrase separation of church and state, comes from a letter by Thomas Jeffereson in 1802 referencing this.

"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof', thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."

This seems to be quite in line with the constitution, rather than "a direct violation" of it.  No matter what color your glasses are.

[KevinM1]

Given the people involved, it's hard not to see this as a pro-Christian police force. I'll be pleasantly surprised if they do anything beneficial for any non-Christian community.