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

[smax]

As per public schools? How do you feel about religion in private catholic school? How do you justify protecting the children in public schools from biblical teaching...yet not protecting the children in catholic school? How about Sunday school??

It's simple:

Public school is state.

Private school is not.

[The Grand Nudger]

@Whatev

That's a fundamental failure of our ability to educate the very same people upon whom we vest our trust and power, ourselves. If people can't comprehend "why" it's a bad idea to write policy based on their stars or magic books - then we shouldn't be surprised when politicians make it their brand identity to cast the stars (or magic's) vote. We shouldn't be surprised at their success in doing so. Fortunately for us, we are not a "rule by mob" sort of place - so we have the ability to override the tyranny/ignorance of the majority (yet another thing we've apparently failed to educate ourselves with regards to-despite having some very clear instances of it not only in the "distant" past but in living memory).

Further, it shouldn't surprise us when someone shows up here flirting with dominionism or wondering why we erected this wall to begin with.

[smax]

It's the parents' choice to send their kids to whatever school they want or to homeschool them if they choose. That's their right to practice their religion. I find keeping your kid home for schooling, solely to teach them religion, distasteful, but acknowledge the parents' right to do so. I do feel bad for those kids though.

But,if religion is detasteful when does it become harmful? Just like slavery and child labor was a "parent's right"...when does society deems religion harmful too?

Someone already said it, I'll say it again. Religion becomes harmful when it violates the freedom and rights of others.

Sending your kid to a private Christian school is a personal choice that does not infringe upon others. You are responsibe for raising your own child in the way you see best fit.

I have no problem with that. In fact, these people that feel that prayer and the Bible should be in school should send their children to private school to get it. Because public school is a much larger and diverse arena. Religion has no place there.

[The Grand Nudger]

Sending your kid to a private Christian school is a personal choice that does not infringe upon others. You are responsibe for raising your own child in the way you see best fit.

Unfortunately they can't leave well enough alone. Those same "private schools" whose parents opted out so that the limits of our government could not be "imposed" upon them would very happily (and indeed are very busy trying to) avail themselves of the fed and states dollars. This amounts to subsidizing religion, yet again, and it's garbage.
(not that I blame them for trying to get a better seat at the table - they have a business to run -....I put my crooked finger firmly where it belongs, on the people who would grant such a request)

[smax]

No matter your views on Jefferson, there's no denying he was intelligent. He viewed himself within the context of his times, which is more than most people. I daresay, society has progressed a little since the late 18th century. The Bible, NKJ or Jeffersonian or otherwise, has no place in 21st century schools. I don't hold Jefferson, or any historical figure, to our modern standards, because this was not their historical context, and it is dishonest and unfair to hold them to such.
Jefferson is not my favorite historical person. I have my own opinions of him, which I will gladly post in a thread on Jefferson, should anyone feel the need to open one. This, however, is not the place to debate Jefferson.

As a US citizen, I hold Jefferson in high regard. His influence has made this country much more livable than it likely would have been otherwise.

I do, however, agree wih you about history and it's context. Jefferson was an intelligent man who played the cards he was dealt in the best way he could.

[ebg]

so what are the good idea that a politition can based his decisions on. Obviously, the dominion right of christian consevative is a bad idea. What about the Jewish popuation and their views upon the policy of Isreal and the US. Is that a bad idea?

[The Grand Nudger]

so what are the good idea that a politition can based his decisions on. Obviously, the dominion right of christian consevative is a bad idea. What about the Jewish popuation and their views upon the policy of US and the US. Is that a bad idea?

If the justification offered is "because Yahweh said so"...yes, for the same reasons.

[smax]

Ebg wrote...
But if religion is harmful...shouldn't the children be removed from religious homes on the basis of mental abuse, regardless of popularity? Would that include all kinds of religion (like voodoo,fire worship,ancestory,sorcery, witchcraft), or only those that the goverment designates as harmful (like christianity)?

Separation of church and state is not about ridding society of all it's harmful practices. No, separation is preserving each individual's rights and freedom of choice.

Children do not have a full set of rights. Their rights are tied to their parents.

However, by establishing laws that prevent religion from taking over institutions of government, you provide those children with a basis for making their own choices about religion once they are old enough to do so.

And, guess what? Many do. I stand as proof.

[ebg]

so what are the good idea that a politition can based his decisions on. Obviously, the dominion right of christian consevative is a bad idea. What about the Jewish popuation and their views upon the policy of US and the US. Is that a bad idea?

If the justification offered is "because Yahweh said so"...yes, for the same reasons.

which ones are the good ideas?"

[The Grand Nudger]

Imagine a state in which islam is a mandatory or encouraged subject, in which prayer is mandated or encouraged from, say, kindergarten. Don't expect that system to churn out too many christians (or buddhists, or hindus, or anything that isn't muslim).

---

If the justification offered is "because Yahweh said so"...yes, for the same reasons.

which ones are the good ideas?"

The ones that stand on their own, the ones that don't require "Fairy said so". The ones that don't amount to a subsidy, endorsement, or establishment of any particular religion by our secular government.