(August 29, 2010 at 10:12 am)Tiberius Wrote: I should also point out something that just came to mind. Even if the constitution doesn't need interpretation, and the founding fathers never meant for there to be a "separation of church and state", that doesn't mean that it isn't a good idea, or that we shouldn't strive to accomplish it.
Sure, the founders were great men; very intelligent and proud leaders. However, they were living in a different time, and our modern values of equality should trump those of the past. Governments should treat their citizens equally, regardless of race, sexual orientation, income, or religion. To make decisions that favour one set of people over another based on an attribute not shared by all citizens is inherently unfair, and imo inherently un-American.
One of my favourite phrases is written in the Declaration of Independence, and despite the fact that I am an atheist and have no concept of a "Creator", I think that what the phrase *means* for government is very important:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
Nobody gets to hold one attribute over another; that is the essence of what America was founded on.
Fair enough, Adrian. I'll give you all of that as long as atheists quit misusing the Constitution to push their agenda.
