Are you for or against the separation of church and state?

[Esquilax]

Are you saying then that separation of church and state is a contradiction with freedom of religion. Then how can religion in public schools be banned? What constitute you being offended by my opinion, and me be really harmful to an abused person mental health?

Think of it this way: you are free to practice any religion you please privately, but the government is bound to care for the interests of all of its citizens. Not some or even the majority, but all of them. Religious belief is a personal thing, and varies from person to person quite wildly; a government funded organization like the public education system cannot cater to one religious belief over any others, because in doing so they wouldn't be serving their citizens, and at the same time it would be impossible to teach them all. The best bet is for the government to just back away and teach the verifiable things that students will need to function in the real world, and leave the personal beliefs to the parents.

That way, everyone gets what they need in equal measure, exactly as it should be.

[The Grand Nudger]

Oh this should be so very easy to explain to any closeted dominionist in our midst. Imagine that the government, and government officials were absolutely free to write and enforce policy based upon nothing but their deeply held religious convictions. Just, you know, to be consistent with their faith.

Now imagine that they weren't christians. End of.

[Whateverist]

Very hard to imagine that there is much to discuss on this thread. Most theists should recognize that non-interference for their faction is in their best interest. It goes without saying why atheists should be for separation of church and state. So what is there to say? Has anyone actually argued against?

[ebg]

what about the issue of capital punishment? Can a senator base his decision on the advice from a person who's belief originates from astrology, or star wars...then why can't the senator base his decision on the advice from a jewish person or a muslim person or a christain person?

[The Grand Nudger]

They certainly can, but that won't address whether or not they should. If a senator supported capital punishment via the quote

"An eye for an eye"

I'd call him a cunt and suggest that he was unfit for service.

If our president consulted his fucking astrologer before declaring war I'd be signing petitions for impeachment. If our secretary of state went around assessing the relative level that "the force was with" this or that dignitary as a way of adjusting policy - that's grounds for immediate dismissal. Whats difficult to comprehend about this?

[Whateverist]

what about the issue of capital punishment? Can a senator base his decision on the advice from a person who's belief originates from astrology, or star wars...then why can't the senator base his decision on the advice from a jewish person or a muslim person or a christain person?

Good one! Yeah some true believers really do sound like this. Nice parody. Sounds crazy though.

[ebg]

So what groups are acceptable for a senator to seek advice from and what groups are not? Are american nazi party acceptable but not the human society? Who is going to make the list?

[The Grand Nudger]

Again, a senator can seek advice from wherever he likes, but when he goes to stump for the policy there'd better me more behind it than a bible verse, a quote from star wars, or the status of his stars. I don't think that it's too much to ask - if we can't have a competent politician - to have competent liars serving as politicians. If all you have is one of the above - have the fucking decency to lie about it.

[Esquilax]

So what groups are acceptable for a senator to seek advice from and what groups are not? Are american nazi party acceptable but not the human society? Who is going to make the list?

You can seek advice from any source you like, many often do. But you do so in the shadow of the consequences; if you want to seek advice from nazis then you can expect your constituents who disagree with the nazis to pull you right the fuck out of power. If you want to seek advice and build your legal positions based solely on unverifiable magic claims then go right ahead, but I wouldn't expect you to remain in power long if you do.

[Whateverist]

You can seek advice from any source you like, many often do. But you do so in the shadow of the consequences;

Weird how Nancy Reagan could seek advice from astrologers and W could "pray on it" without the masses turning on them.