(October 15, 2014 at 3:33 pm)Natachan Wrote: While I understand your point I still think it would be sad to see it go. Cecil b Demille's Ten Commandments still remains one of my favorite films of all time. I love the story of Joseph and his coat of dreams, and I even enjoy the story of Jesus's wandering in the desert as an inspired work of fiction.
Just because a book has been taken to justify atrocities doesn't mean we should throw it out (Catcher in the Rye, anyone?)
Um no, no one is saying throw it out, what we are saying is not to use it for laws for everyone. And the Catcher in the Rye is not a holy book and no one tries to base government law on that book as if it is a holy book.
You cannot use faith to write laws, you cannot use holy books to write laws. You can only have a neutral law as in "freedom of religion" which also has to include freedom FROM religion.
The nature of religions are that they set up social pecking orders where the majority at best treats the non majority as house pets or guests, the East is a reminder where mixing government and religion can lead.
All religions are volcanos, in the west our volcanos are more dormant because of secular common law, in the east their volcanos are more active. The difference between the east and the west is the west has had 250 years of common law. The west became civil in spite of religion, not because of it.
