UPDATE: It is clear that there are a small number of people who have bought into a warped edition of American history, particularly related to the “Separation of Church and State” issue. Only because I was once one of those people, do I have a sense of duty to help people along to the truth. The truth isn’t right or wrong, good or bad, it just is.
We have courts demanding murals with the words “Amen” be taken down, yet those same courts take our money with the words “In God We Trust” printed on them. It’s not about being a “Christian nation”- we never said this.
Likewise, there are those who try and make assumptions that anyone who supports this particular “prayer mural” is a Christian- rather then a Jewish person, Muslim, or Buddhist for that matter. This was not a “Christ-based” prayer. Nor was this mural created by the “State”, but rather, a former student.
But let’s get to some historical truth. Let’s go directly to the original document, a letter, that Thomas Jefferson wrote to a Baptist pastor assuring him that the “State” would not interfere in his religion…this kiddies, is where “Separation of Church and State” really began- and it didn’t have anything to do with taking prayer murals down from schools. It is what it is…
Thomas Jefferson writes:
Gentlemen, – The affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me on behalf of the Danbury Baptist Association give me the highest satisfaction. . . . Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God; that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship; that the legislative powers of government reach actions only and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church and State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties. I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common Father and Creator of man, and tender you for yourselves and your religious association assurances of my high respect and esteem. (efferson, Writings, Vol. XVI, pp. 281-282, to the Danbury Baptist Association on January 1, 1802.)
Jefferson sounds like an atheist as he says, “I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common Father and Creator of man”.
Rather the listening to a high school or college professor with an agenda, we like to go to the orginal documents. It’s called living in actual reality, rather then mythology. And before some of you send another “Treaty of Tripoli” e-mail, we’ve got a long and well researched answer for that…based on the whole document, rather then a few lines. But we’ll let someone else do that for us at THIS LINK.
BIGOT: a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion.
INTOLERANT: not tolerating or respecting beliefs, opinions, usages, manners, etc., different from one’s own, as in political or religious matters
The Blaze reports, “A federal judge has ruled in favor of a teenage atheist whose fight for the removal of a prayer mural in her public high school in Cranston, Rhode Island, has attracted national attention.”
Sixteen year old Jessica Ahlquist is a bigot. “Such strong words”, you say? Well, apparently Ms. Ahlquist didn’t tolerate the beliefs, usages, or opinions of the majority of her fellow students. What could be so horrible to this teenager that she took it to court?
A prayer mural with these words:
SCHOOL PRAYER,
OUR HEAVENLY FATHER,
GRANT US EACH DAY THE DESIRE TO DO OUR BEST. TO GROW MENTALLY AND MORALLY AS WELL AS PHYSICALLY. TO BE KIND AND HELPFUL TO OUR CLASSMATES AND TEACHERS. TO BE HONEST WITH OURSELVES AS WELL AS WITH OTHERS. HELP US TO BE GOOD SPORTS AND SMILE WHEN WE LOSE AS WELL AS WHEN WE WIN. TEACH US THE VALUE OF TRUE FRIENDSHIP. HELP US ALWAYS TO CONDUCT OURSELVES SO AS TO BRING CREDIT TO CRANSTON HIGH SCHOOL WEST. AMEN
Ideas such as to “be kind and helpful to our classmates”, or “to be honest with ourselves as well as with others” are the exact ideas that the left are trying to socially engineer into our kids via government programs that are failing miserably.
With the topic of “bullying” being the hot topic among liberal ideologues, one might believe this would be a welcomed mural. But the words “PRAYER” AND “AMEN” are like garlic to a vampire. The word “God” isn’t even contained in this mural. This prayer could be representational of any religion.
But that would be called tolerance, and Jessica Ahlquist doesn’t know the meaning of the word.
To useful idiots like Jessica Ahlquist, they actually believe “separation of church and state” is in the Constitution. The fact is, our Founding Fathers prayed, and even held church, within the walls of Congress.
In fact, students could challenge this court case, simply based on the First Ammendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, OR prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
We have allowed a minority of bigots to push their intolerance on the rest of society. Call it what it is, it is bigotry. We can only imagine the backlash from the left if one student complained about a LBGT rainbow flag hanging on a wall, and had the courts remove it. They would call that intolerance.
In the end, this is just a sad story. Because if the students of this particular high school, like all schools, would actually follow the words in this prayer mural, they would be on their way to a truly peaceful society.
With that said, Jessica Ahlquist- you miss, are a bigot. But people can change. Maybe one day we will do that story…
There is an old saying that is often heard among recovering alcoholics/addicts: Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.
2012 Ron Paul supporters = 2008 Obama supporters?
I’ve noticed something about a particular GOP presidential candidate’s supporters. Anytime a conservative-leaning person dares to challenge or, dare I say, disagree, with Ron Paul, there is a reaction that feels strangely familiar. But first, we have to go back to the year 2008.
Leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, it became clear that Barack Obama had a talent for attracting large masses of people, most of whom were unwilling to look at actual facts, and blindly follow him to victory.
There was a cross-section of Obama voters who were just taken back by the “hopey changy” speeches. But then there was another cross-section of voters who didn’t want to debate the issues or acknowledge the facts. In fact, they would simply call you a racist for not supporting their guy, Barack. One might even say there was a dash of insanity splashed into the Obama love fest.
Fast forward to 2012 and many of those voters who were in blind-love with Obama, have gotten their proverbial sight back and don’t like what they see. Sure, there are, and will always be those people who are unwilling to debate the facts, and they will defend their man until the end, truth and facts set aside.
Like the zombie-eyed Obama supporters of 2008, there seems to be a similar occurrence among some conservatives/Libertarians. There is this cross-section of Ron Paul fans who behave identically to the die-hard Obama-maniacs. When challenged, they become instantly agitated, and rattle out far-fetched accusations of why you don’t support Ron Paul.
Just like the far-left progressives, Paul fanatics will accuse you of being a lobbyist for Israel. Of course most Paul fanatics also take the same stance on Israel as people like Bill Ayers, bordering on outright anti-semitism. They both see Israel as an “apartheid state”.
Once again, like the far-left, Paul supporters have an absolute cockeyed view of Iran, and Islamic extremism in general. Ironically, Barack Obama has a more centrist view on Iran then Ron Paul. At least he acknowledges that it would be a bad idea for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. When it comes down to it, the view Paul voters take is that the U.S. got what was coming to them on 9/11. Sound familiar?
Don’t get me wrong, Ron Paul has a lot that I agree with on the economy and limited government as a whole. But so does the crack-pot who lives in the “van down by the river” who, also, believes aliens live in the trees. That doesn’t mean I would vote for him to the highest position in our country.
There are many conservatives who are understandably sick and tired of the same old GOP machine nominee who keeps churning the big-government gears. Ron Paul’s “take no prisoners” attitude with limited government ideas is attractive in this Tea Party era. But a candidate with “great economic ideas” but believes Iran isn’t a threat is lunacy.
But now it appears some of those who were suckered into the Obama “Hope poster”, are now beginning to get suckered into Ron Paul. The truth is, they are seeing the 2008 Obama in the 2012 Ron Paul. They hear the “America caused 9/11, anti-Israel, let’s legalize drugs” candidate that they thought they were going to get in Obama- but didn’t get.
I’ve noticed that talking to many Ron Paul fans feels particularly like talking to Obama fanatics. They both really don’t want to debate the issues, accept the actual facts about their candidates, and they have a viewpoint of the way the world works that doesn’t resemble reality. There is an unwillingness, in both voters, to have a conversation without ending it by degrading the person who doesn’t agree with them. It’s like they are cut from the same fabric.
So I leave Ron Paul fans with this- be careful that you don’t become the very people that inspired you to follow Ron Paul in the first place. Be passionate, and follow what you believe. But stand for your candidate by defending his strengths, not denigrating, and/or accusing his challengers’ motivations with some far-fetched conspiracy theories.
That would make you no better then the 2008 Obama-maniacs…or were you one of those maniacs to begin with?