Day of Prayer Ruled Unconstitutional

[Scam of God]

The people who settled the United States were a Christian people.

So?

Christianity is part of our nation's heritage, and of its national character. To deny this is foolish.

Which has any bearing whatsoever on we, the living -- how, exactly?

[Torie]

Gosh, I wish this issue would just go away. It effectively means nothing, and is a waste of time. Heck I say "under God" when reciting the pledge, even though I strongly doubt that "He" exists. It is just a sign of showing respect. Enough already!

[IDS Judicial Overlord John Dibble]

Wow, Dibble, LOL at the idea that Christianity was responsible for slavery.

Slavery was practiced around the world for thousands of years without second thoughts.

Straw man. I never claimed it was responsible for it, nor that it originated with it. It existed before even Judaism.

What I did claim was that it was used as a justification for it's continuation in this nation for a long time, as well as used as a tool to control the slaves. I even provided a specific example. If you care to actually refute these facts then please do so.

It only became abolished and taboo in the United States by the earnest efforts of good Christian men and women who were inspired by their faith to stand up in favor of abolition.

Just because some Christians were against it doesn't mean some Christians weren't for it, and it doesn't mean that those that were for it didn't use their religion to justify it.

How about we crack open our Bibles?

"However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you.  You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land.  You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance.  You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way."  (Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT)

"If you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for only six years.  Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom.  If he was single when he became your slave and then married afterward, only he will go free in the seventh year.  But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife will be freed with him.  If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they had sons or daughters, then the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master.  But the slave may plainly declare, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children.  I would rather not go free.'  If he does this, his master must present him before God.  Then his master must take him to the door and publicly pierce his ear with an awl.  After that, the slave will belong to his master forever."  (Exodus 21:2-6 NLT)

"When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are.  If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again.  But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her.  And if the slave girl's owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but he must treat her as his daughter.  If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing or fail to sleep with her as his wife.  If he fails in any of these three ways, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment."  (Exodus 21:7-11 NLT)

"When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished.  If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property."  (Exodus 21:20-21 NAB)

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear.  Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ."  (Ephesians 6:5 NLT)

"Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed.  If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful.  You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts.  Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them." (1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT)

"The servant will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty, he refused to do it.  "But people who are not aware that they are doing wrong will be punished only lightly.  Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given.""  (Luke 12:47-48 NLT)

[Χahar]

The people who settled the United States were a Christian people.

So?

Christianity is part of our nation's heritage, and of its national character. To deny this is foolish.

OK. What's your point?

[Senator Libertas]

The people who settled the United States were a Christian people.

So?

Christianity is part of our nation's heritage, and of its national character. To deny this is foolish.

OK. What's your point?

So Christianity should be recognized as part of this National Day of Prayer.

[Scam of God]

The people who settled the United States were a Christian people.

So?

Christianity is part of our nation's heritage, and of its national character. To deny this is foolish.

OK. What's your point?

So Christianity should be recognized as part of this National Day of Prayer.

Why should the State be a part of enforcing a National Day of Prayer in the first?

[TheGreatOne]

The only reason why a Christian Elitist would argue to keep the National Day of Prayer is to re-establish Christian dominance in the country.  

The Founding Father argument is irrelevent for anyone with half a brain.  It doesn't matter what the Founding Fathers thought.  They lived in the 1700s and we live in 2010, where society, culture, morals, and economic standards are very different.  Why would we continue to follow old ways of thinking.  We are suppose to advance thought, not remain stagnant.

Also, who cares if Christianity is part of our Nation's heritage?  Slavery is also part of the Nation's heritage, but I don't see any Christians fighting for that policy anymore.  Frankly, I don't beleive Christians would feel the same way if Islam was part of our National Heritage, and the Government closed down to celebrate Ramadan.    

[IDS Judicial Overlord John Dibble]

The Founding Father argument is irrelevent for anyone with half a brain.  It doesn't matter what the Founding Fathers thought.  They lived in the 1700s and we live in 2010, where society, culture, morals, and economic standards are very different.  Why would we continue to follow old ways of thinking.  We are suppose to advance thought, not remain stagnant.

I'm going to have to disagree with you somewhat here. What they thought does matter, in that it gives us a window into what they intended when they wrote the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This is a very valuable tool when it comes to interpreting these documents, which may be very necessary when trying to apply them to modern concepts and issues that didn't exist at the time.

That said I do agree that we can't just blindly follow their mode of thought. Of course, that's why there's an amendment process. We can change what we need to, when we need to.

[cinyc]

Name one thing.

Easy enough - slavery.

Biblical scripture was used to justify slavery. For instance in the late 1700s Reverend William Graham, an instructor at Liberty Hall Academy, would annually lecture the graduating senior class about the value of slavery and used the Bible as his primary defense for it. For him and many others like him Christianity wasn't meant to change social institutions but rather to convert people and bring them to salvation. Slavery was just another position in which you might become saved. They certainly had quite a bit of scripture to justify this - I'll be glad to tell you exactly which passages in your Bible, if you'd like.

Oh, but it doesn't stop in just using it to justify slavery to their fellow white men. They also used it as a means of keeping the slaves in line. By indoctrinating them into Christianity they could use those passages to encourage slaves to be obedient to their earthly masters in exchange for their promised heavenly reward, as well as implying that disobeying their masters would be perceived by God as disobeying him. Add in the enforced illiteracy and you have it so the slaves can't even read the Bible for themselves, so they could use the dogma without having the slaves able to read from the source of the authority themselves.

Or do you think that the systematic oppression of millions of people is "peaceful and restrained"?

Oh yes, the old slavery canard.  A system that was perpetrated for centuries, including a millennium or more before Christianity even began is Christianity's fault, even when it is Christians who stopped the practice in the first place.  The Muslim Arab traders who enslaved Africans aren't culpable, nor are the African tribesman who sold people from opposing tribes into bondage.  Slavery was all the fault of evil White Christian male oppressors.

Spare me the politically correct nonsense.

Your attitude towards Christians and religious people is extremely intolerant.

My attitude is extremely tolerant. For one thing I don't go around killing them because they don't believe the same things I do. The same can't be said for how Christians have treated non-believers, which often included differing sects of Christianity, for much of their history. Catholics and Protestants were at eachother's throats for quite a while, and in many ways still are.

Your attitude is far from tolerant.  You want to take religion out of the public square and declare it something not worthy of political debate.  You want to pretend it doesn't exist.  It does.

It costs NOTHING more to proclaim a day a national day of prayer than it does to proclaim it Martin Luther King Day, Lincoln's Birthday or Hispanic or Womens' History Month.  In fact, those cost more to declare those holidays because government offices are closed.  If I don't like Martin Luther King or Lincoln, or if I'm not Hispanic or a woman why should one cent of my tax dollars be used to encourage days honoring those people or groups?

Because those aren't religious. They are encouraging people to learn about actual historical events and such. However you may have a point on racial and gender preferences on the latter two, which could make it unconstitutional on other grounds.

I wouldn't support National Godlessness Day being government endorsed, even if I might like such a day to exist. Religion and government need to remain separated as possible.

You can't have an understanding of history without understanding religion.   National days of prayer are ingrained in this nation's history from the start.  To deny such is to deny the history of this country.

Atheism IS a religion.  By making the mere mention of other religions in a proclamation taboo, the government is establishing atheism as the state religion.

Atheism is not a religion. What dogma do atheists have that make us a religious order? Let me give you a hint - the answer is none. Atheism is simply the lack of a certain kind of belief. The government also isn't actively encouraging atheism, nor would it constitutionally be allowed to - a National Day of Encouraging Godless Living would be just as unconstitutional as National Prayer Day.

Atheists have a very simple dogma - God doesn't exist.  It is as incapable of proof as proving a Christian God or Muslim Allah exists.  Yet atheists blindly adhere to such a view in the absence of proof.  Agnosticism is an absence of belief about the existence of God.  Atheism is the BELIEF that there is no God.  It IS a religion.  An atheist's church is the church of secular humanism, in which God shouldn't matter in public or political affairs.  Part of many atheists' creed is to belittle those who believe in God.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are secularized enough that it really isn't necessary to do that.

Who are we giving thanks to?  What's Christmas about?  Those holidays aren't secular at all - especially CHRISTmas.

1. I don't know about you, but I give thanks to my friends and family. They are there for me, providing love and support for me whenever I need it. Thanksgiving is just a good time for me to go visit them, share our thanks for one another, and eat some good food. God doesn't really enter the equation as far as I'm concerned. For the believing members of my family it might, but that's not really a concern.
2. Christmas isn't even originally a Christian holiday. It's origins come from pagan holidays. Read up on your history. Besides, what do Santa Clause, flying reindeer, elves, snowmen, decorated trees, and toys have to do with Jesus? Even the Japanese celebrate Christmas en masse, and only half a percent or so of the population there is Christian. Secularized enough for you?

The nature of holidays change with time. Get over it.

1.  Thanksgiving has been proclaimed by American Presidents from the beginning of this Republic as a day of prayer.  The thanks is to be given to God.
2. CHRISTmas is a Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ.  Santa Claus is a Christian SAINT - jolly old St. Nick did exist, and had a reputation of giving gifts.  That Japanese celebrate CHRISTmas doesn't make it any less of a day to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.

[Senator Libertas]

The only reason why a Christian Elitist would argue to keep the National Day of Prayer is to re-establish Christian dominance in the country.  

The Founding Father argument is irrelevent for anyone with half a brain.  It doesn't matter what the Founding Fathers thought.  They lived in the 1700s and we live in 2010, where society, culture, morals, and economic standards are very different.  Why would we continue to follow old ways of thinking.  We are suppose to advance thought, not remain stagnant.

Also, who cares if Christianity is part of our Nation's heritage?  Slavery is also part of the Nation's heritage, but I don't see any Christians fighting for that policy anymore.  Frankly, I don't beleive Christians would feel the same way if Islam was part of our National Heritage, and the Government closed down to celebrate Ramadan.    

Um that's because Islam is not part of our nation's heritage. If we were talking about Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, of course I would say they should celebrate their own Islamic heritage.

[Χahar]

The people who settled the United States were a Christian people.

So?

Christianity is part of our nation's heritage, and of its national character. To deny this is foolish.

OK. What's your point?

So Christianity should be recognized as part of this National Day of Prayer.

Does not follow.

[IDS Judicial Overlord John Dibble]

Oh yes, the old slavery canard.  A system that was perpetrated for centuries, including a millennium or more before Christianity even began is Christianity's fault, even when it is Christians who stopped the practice in the first place.  The Muslim Arab traders who enslaved Africans aren't culpable, nor are the African tribesman who sold people from opposing tribes into bondage.  Slavery was all the fault of evil White Christian male oppressors.

Spare me the politically correct nonsense.

As I pointed out to Libertas, this is a straw man. I never claimed that Christianity was solely to blame for slavery, or even starting it. What I did claim was that Christians used their religion as justification for maintaining it in this country as well as a tool to control their slaves. This is historical fact and you have not done one single thing to refute it. I even went so far as to provide a specific example. Here's some more:

"[Slavery] was established by decree of Almighty God...it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation...it has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highest proficiency in the arts." Jefferson Davis, 1861

"The right of holding slaves is clearly established in the Holy Scriptures, both by precept and example." Rev. R. Furman, D.D., a Baptist pastor from South Carolina, 1838

How the hell is it "politically correct nonsense" to point out the historically verified FACT that Christianity was used to justify this barbarity?

Your attitude is far from tolerant.  You want to take religion out of the public square and declare it something not worthy of political debate.  You want to pretend it doesn't exist.  It does.

Straw man again. If someone wants to get up on a soap box in the middle of town square and preach that everyone who disagrees with him his going to roast in hellfire for all eternity, then that's his right and I'll join in the fight against anyone who tries to stop him. I do not want to end all political debate of it because that would be stupid - if we are to ensure that freedom of religion is protected we have to be willing to debate it when it comes up. And I clearly don't want to pretend religion doesn't exist since I'm quite vocal about it's existence. So you fail to make an actual claim about what I believe FOUR TIMES NOW. (these three and the slavery thing) Talk about intellectual dishonesty at its finest.

You can't have an understanding of history without understanding religion.   National days of prayer are ingrained in this nation's history from the start.  To deny such is to deny the history of this country.

I have no intent do deny the influence, be it good, bad, or neutral, of religion on the history of this country and the world in general. To do so would be idiotic. For this reason I am supportive of teaching these kinds of subjects in schools, so long as they are taught objectively. If a national day or week or month of sorts is deemed necessary to encourage learning of these things, a national day of prayer does not do that - instead a national month of theological history or something of that nature would be appropriate.

Atheists have a very simple dogma - God doesn't exist.

Incorrect. Not all atheists believe God doesn't exist. Some believe that there definitely is no deities, some believe there is a possibility that that one or more does, some believe that some specific gods others define don't exist but there might be something that might constitute a God, etc. The one and only thing atheism does imply is that there is a lack of a belief in a deity.

It is as incapable of proof as proving a Christian God or Muslim Allah exists.  Yet atheists blindly adhere to such a view in the absence of proof.

Again, not true for the reasons stated - not all atheists believe the same things. Atheism only requires not believing in a god, not specifically believing any doesn't exist. Besides, by this logic you would have to consider NOT believing in Zeus, leprechauns, invisible pink unicorns, and flying spaghetti monsters a religion too. Not believing something doesn't make that not believing a religion.

Agnosticism is an absence of belief about the existence of God.  Atheism is the BELIEF that there is no God.

You have your definitions mixed up. Agnosticism implies a lack of knowledge - the word literally means "without knowledge". Atheism implies a lack of belief in gods - it literally means "without gods". You can actually be, or not be, either. They are not mutually exclusive. Atheism vs. theism is about belief, gnosticism vs. agnosticism is about knowledge. Roughly speaking it translates to this:

Agnostic theist - "I believe there is a god or gods, but I am not certain they actually exist"
Gnostic theist - "I believe in a god or gods and know for sure that the god or gods "
Agnostic atheist - "I do not believe in any gods, but I do not know for certain if any exist or not"
Gnostic atheist - "I do not believe in any gods and know for sure there are no gods"

Of course there are ever more subcategories, as well as degrees of gnosticism vs. agnosticism.

It IS a religion.

No, it isn't. There is no dogma or church.

An atheist's church is the church of secular humanism, in which God shouldn't matter in public or political affairs.

1. Secular humanism is a philosophical concept, not a church.
2. Again, false. Not all atheists are secular humanists.

Part of many atheists' creed is to belittle those who believe in God.

Which doesn't have anything to do with whether it's a religion or not. You might as well say that conservativism is a religion because part of many conservatives' creed is to belittle liberals.

1.  Thanksgiving has been proclaimed by American Presidents from the beginning of this Republic as a day of prayer.  The thanks is to be given to God.

Except it isn't always given to God. Again, it's been secularized enough that atheists aren't going to care.

2. CHRISTmas is a Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ.

The date on which it was decided to celebrate it, Dec. 25th, is also the date on which the ancient Babylonians celebrated the "birthday" of Mithra. (Son of Isis, Goddess of Nature) Partying, excessive drinking and eating, and gift giving were part of this festival. Sound familiar? After various changes it eventually became the Roman pagan event known as Saturnalia, which lasted from Dec 17th to Dec 25th. Interestingly one of the traditions of this festival was consuming human-shaped biscuits. Sound familiar? In the 4th century Christian leaders attempted to change this event into a Christian one in order to win over converts, but since the festival had little to do with Jesus they decided to name the concluding day, the 25th, as the savior's birthday. Unfortunately for them it didn't work out so well, and the earliest Christmases were celebrated much in the same way Saturnalia had always been - drinking, sexual indulgence, and singing naked in the streets. Again, doesn't that last part sound familiar... well, the singing that is, not the nakedness.

So yes, Christmas is really just a bastardized pagan festival that has now become bastardized itself. As I said, holidays change, get over it. Google "origins of Christmas" if you don't believe me.

Santa Claus is a Christian SAINT - jolly old St. Nick did exist, and had a reputation of giving gifts.

St. Nick didn't have flying reindeer, elves, talking snowmen, etc., in case you haven't noticed.

That Japanese celebrate CHRISTmas doesn't make it any less of a day to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.

For you maybe, but as I said the holiday itself has largely been secularized. Many atheists in this country and others, including myself, celebrate it. There are also secular reasons to allow it to be a national holiday even if it was still a primarily religious holiday - it's just not practical to require everyone to come into work on a day when the vast majority aren't coming into work.

[Chareth Cutestory]

Wow, I was fully ready to come back to this and have a field day, but you guys are doing a pretty good job exposing the religious side's shoddy appeal to majority.

[Senator Ben]

So Christianity should be recognized as part of this National Day of Prayer.

Separation of church and state my ass.  You'd be perfectly happy to turn us into a Holy Roman Empire; freedom of religion be damned!

[??????????]

Yes fezzy those religious are so sneaky w/their evil plot to turn us into a theocracy.

[Bo]

Good. I'd also like to see the line "Under God" removed from the National Anthem, or at least make it possible for people who don't beleive in God not to say that line.

[TheGreatOne]

The only reason why a Christian Elitist would argue to keep the National Day of Prayer is to re-establish Christian dominance in the country.  

The Founding Father argument is irrelevent for anyone with half a brain.  It doesn't matter what the Founding Fathers thought.  They lived in the 1700s and we live in 2010, where society, culture, morals, and economic standards are very different.  Why would we continue to follow old ways of thinking.  We are suppose to advance thought, not remain stagnant.

Also, who cares if Christianity is part of our Nation's heritage?  Slavery is also part of the Nation's heritage, but I don't see any Christians fighting for that policy anymore.  Frankly, I don't beleive Christians would feel the same way if Islam was part of our National Heritage, and the Government closed down to celebrate Ramadan.    

Um that's because Islam is not part of our nation's heritage. If we were talking about Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, of course I would say they should celebrate their own Islamic heritage.

I never said Islam was part of our Nation's heritage.  The example was a hypothetical.

Fine, but I'm not okay with it.  I just don't beleive its government's role to publicize religion.  This policy is not about promoting the Country's heritage; its about ingraining religious thought and symbols in our government.  Its also a waste of my tax money.  I shouldn't have to pay so politicians can pray in a Government building.      

[Snowguy716]

I like your style John Dibble.

[Communists For McCain]

Good. I'd also like to see the line "Under God" removed from the National Anthem, or at least make it possible for people who don't beleive in God not to say that line.

At least where I'm from (friggin Oklahoma) kids weren't forced to say the Pledge of Allegiance.  Sure, we had to stand up, but none of the teachers ever really forced anybody to say the Pledge.  Hell I'm pretty sure we could even get away with butchering the Pledge.
I don't care what's in the Pledge so long as I AM NOT REQUIRED BY LAW TO RECITE IT (the idea of pledging allegiance to a supposedly free country never made much sense to me).

[Senator Ben]

Nobody is forced to say it in Arlington, either.  Hell, we don't necessarily need to stand up.

[Joe Republic]

Wait wait wait.  Thanksgiving is supposed to be giving thanks to God?!  I've always been giving thanks to the Indians who helped out the Christian settlers, shortly before we largely wiped them out and sent them to live on 'reservations'.  I've never given thanks to "God", and I doubt I would even if I believed in such a thing.

[Senator Libertas]

Wait wait wait.  Thanksgiving is supposed to be giving thanks to God?!  I've always been giving thanks to the Indians who helped out the Christian settlers, shortly before we largely wiped them out and sent them to live on 'reservations'.  I've never given thanks to "God", and I doubt I would even if I believed in such a thing.

Nope, it's God; you were wrong.

Thanksgiving proclamations in the first thirty years of nationhood

As President, on October 3, 1789, George Washington made the following proclamation and created the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the national government of the United States of America:

    Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us. And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best. Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

[Joe Republic]

Wait wait wait.  Thanksgiving is supposed to be giving thanks to God?!  I've always been giving thanks to the Indians who helped out the Christian settlers, shortly before we largely wiped them out and sent them to live on 'reservations'.  I've never given thanks to "God", and I doubt I would even if I believed in such a thing.

Nope, it's God; you were wrong.

snip

Haha, I don't really care what you religious folks get up to, but I'll do it the way I want, ok?  It's a pretty stupid and hypocritical holiday, in any case.

[Senator Libertas]

Wait wait wait.  Thanksgiving is supposed to be giving thanks to God?!  I've always been giving thanks to the Indians who helped out the Christian settlers, shortly before we largely wiped them out and sent them to live on 'reservations'.  I've never given thanks to "God", and I doubt I would even if I believed in such a thing.

Nope, it's God; you were wrong.

snip

Haha, I don't really care what you religious folks get up to, but I'll do it the way I want, ok?  It's a pretty stupid and hypocritical holiday, in any case.

Yes, you were wrong, glad that's clarified.

[Joe Republic]

"ME LIBERTAS.  ME WIN DEBATE."

Like I said, you religious folks can do what you want.  Besides, the origins of both holidays are secular, were then adopted by Christians for their own ends, and eventually became secular again.  You just need to accept that.