(no subject)
I don't know why I always have such a hard time finding a job! I applied at several places today--Polo, Quilts Unlimited, the Coffee Beanery, and Haagen Daaz. I seriously just want any place to hire me. I'm not even going to be picky at this point. I just want to get a job so my parents don't freak out. I think tomorrow I'm going to go apply at the Christmas Mouse. Random, I know, but they had an ad in the paper so apparently they really need people. And, really, it doesn't make any difference to me where I work this summer. Preferably not lifeguarding though. I've done that for 4 summers straight now, and I don't think I can deal with another summer of sitting in the sweltering heat 40+ hours a week, not to mention the horrors of Speedo tan lines. Although I may have to resort to that if someone doesn't hire me soon.
I'm so frustrated by so much stuff going on in this country right now. Filibustering is ridiculous enough, but whatev. Democrats would do something so ridiculous. But what I find really upsetting is this whole thing with the little girl in grade school in New Jersey who wanted to sing "Our God Is an Awesome God" in her school's talent show, but is not being allowed to because of church and state issues. That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life. As if this little girl represents a state establishment of religion. I don't think I've ever heard something so ridiculous. Not to mention that, in this same talent show, other students are being allowed to perform a scene from Macbeth which deals with witchcraft. I am so tired with this whole thing going on in this country where the majority is being oppressed. Never mind the tyranny of the majority--the minority has gone so far that they are now hindering the right of the majority to express their religious beliefs.
I also feel sick every time I hear the name Thomas Jefferson because of his whole legacy of the "separation of church and state" fallacy. Which was mentioned in a letter he wrote, and is nowhere in the Constitution, so it really boggles my mind when the Supreme Court and everyone else will refer to it when dealing with religion and politics issues. It is irrelevant. It was mentioned in some random thing by Jefferson, and it is not present in any binding document, nor do I see it even implied by any of the founding fathers.
The founding fathers would roll over in their graves if they could see the way people use the First Amendment to penalize and oppress those who fall into the majority of this country. It's a travesty, and I think it is a disgrace to our Constitution and our country. In the case of the little girl in New Jersey, I would like to know exactly which part of the First Amendment they believe is being violated by "Our God Is an Awesome God." The establishment clause? Is this little girl effectively instituting a state establishment of religion? I would like to hear anyone give a reasonable argument for that. Or does it represent excessive entanglement of government with religion? Absolutely not. On the contrary, I think that a ruling which forbids the little girl to sing "Our God Is an Awesome God" simply because it is in a public school setting in itself constitutes excessive entanglement. The state has no place interfering with this. It is protected as free speech, and as an expression of her religious beliefs. I don't understand why American society has come to accept government interference with religion provided that such interference only results in hindering the majority's religious expression. If the little girl wanted to spin a dradle in the talent show, I'm sure there would have been no issue.
Everyone agrees that the Constitution and the First Amendment were written for the purpose of both protecting the state from religion, as well as protecting religion from government. But I don't understand why no one seems to be interested in protecting religion anymore. The state is right and left interfering with Americans' desire to express their religion and use their religion to shape legislation on a state level, yet people claim that this is necessary under the establishment clause. That makes no sense.
What about my right to allow my metaphysical beliefs and doctrines of faith to play a role in my public policy decisions? Freedom of religion does not mean this whole myth of Jefferson's wall between church and state. What people fail to realize is that you cannot remove religious belief from all schools and other governmental institutions and expect to simply leave a void which can be filled by individuals in their private lives, far removed from anything having any remote relationship to the state.
Instead, the effort to remove all signs of religion from the governmental institutions of this extremely religious nation leaves a vacuum. This vacuum has to be filled with something, and it is being filled with a form of secular humanism which is no less a form of religion than is Christianity, Islam, Judaism, et al. This is, in effect, a state establishment of religion which imposes on people a secular world view and a belief that one must mask all religious beliefs because it has no place in the public sphere. This is wrong, and moreover it is a form of oppression.
Religious beliefs must be discussed in a public political forum, particularly in the context of public policy decisions. Candidates for office must openly discuss issues of faith. Religious belief cannot be separated from one's identity, morals, values, and policy decisions. I would rather have a candidate discuss these during his campaign, thus allowing voters to make a fully informed decision, rather than banning these issues from the political forum so that Americans elect a candidate without any knowledge of the underlying beliefs and faith which will inevitably shape his decisions while in office.
It is impossible to remove all metaphysical or faith-related issues from the political sphere. There is no way that this can be done, and instead it is replaced with a sort of atheistic or secular attitude which represses religious belief and expression. Therefore, the only way to effectively uphold the establishment clause and the freedom of religion so integral to American society and national ideals, is to allow all faiths a part in a completely open and public discussion of faith in politics, schools, and all governmental institutions and forums. Because it is impossible to simply remove all issues of this nature, the only "democratic" solution is to allow all faiths their voice.
Including the majority faith. We must end the oppression of Christianity.
Let the little girl sing if she knows her God to be an Awesome God.
xoxo!
I'm so frustrated by so much stuff going on in this country right now. Filibustering is ridiculous enough, but whatev. Democrats would do something so ridiculous. But what I find really upsetting is this whole thing with the little girl in grade school in New Jersey who wanted to sing "Our God Is an Awesome God" in her school's talent show, but is not being allowed to because of church and state issues. That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life. As if this little girl represents a state establishment of religion. I don't think I've ever heard something so ridiculous. Not to mention that, in this same talent show, other students are being allowed to perform a scene from Macbeth which deals with witchcraft. I am so tired with this whole thing going on in this country where the majority is being oppressed. Never mind the tyranny of the majority--the minority has gone so far that they are now hindering the right of the majority to express their religious beliefs.
I also feel sick every time I hear the name Thomas Jefferson because of his whole legacy of the "separation of church and state" fallacy. Which was mentioned in a letter he wrote, and is nowhere in the Constitution, so it really boggles my mind when the Supreme Court and everyone else will refer to it when dealing with religion and politics issues. It is irrelevant. It was mentioned in some random thing by Jefferson, and it is not present in any binding document, nor do I see it even implied by any of the founding fathers.
The founding fathers would roll over in their graves if they could see the way people use the First Amendment to penalize and oppress those who fall into the majority of this country. It's a travesty, and I think it is a disgrace to our Constitution and our country. In the case of the little girl in New Jersey, I would like to know exactly which part of the First Amendment they believe is being violated by "Our God Is an Awesome God." The establishment clause? Is this little girl effectively instituting a state establishment of religion? I would like to hear anyone give a reasonable argument for that. Or does it represent excessive entanglement of government with religion? Absolutely not. On the contrary, I think that a ruling which forbids the little girl to sing "Our God Is an Awesome God" simply because it is in a public school setting in itself constitutes excessive entanglement. The state has no place interfering with this. It is protected as free speech, and as an expression of her religious beliefs. I don't understand why American society has come to accept government interference with religion provided that such interference only results in hindering the majority's religious expression. If the little girl wanted to spin a dradle in the talent show, I'm sure there would have been no issue.
Everyone agrees that the Constitution and the First Amendment were written for the purpose of both protecting the state from religion, as well as protecting religion from government. But I don't understand why no one seems to be interested in protecting religion anymore. The state is right and left interfering with Americans' desire to express their religion and use their religion to shape legislation on a state level, yet people claim that this is necessary under the establishment clause. That makes no sense.
What about my right to allow my metaphysical beliefs and doctrines of faith to play a role in my public policy decisions? Freedom of religion does not mean this whole myth of Jefferson's wall between church and state. What people fail to realize is that you cannot remove religious belief from all schools and other governmental institutions and expect to simply leave a void which can be filled by individuals in their private lives, far removed from anything having any remote relationship to the state.
Instead, the effort to remove all signs of religion from the governmental institutions of this extremely religious nation leaves a vacuum. This vacuum has to be filled with something, and it is being filled with a form of secular humanism which is no less a form of religion than is Christianity, Islam, Judaism, et al. This is, in effect, a state establishment of religion which imposes on people a secular world view and a belief that one must mask all religious beliefs because it has no place in the public sphere. This is wrong, and moreover it is a form of oppression.
Religious beliefs must be discussed in a public political forum, particularly in the context of public policy decisions. Candidates for office must openly discuss issues of faith. Religious belief cannot be separated from one's identity, morals, values, and policy decisions. I would rather have a candidate discuss these during his campaign, thus allowing voters to make a fully informed decision, rather than banning these issues from the political forum so that Americans elect a candidate without any knowledge of the underlying beliefs and faith which will inevitably shape his decisions while in office.
It is impossible to remove all metaphysical or faith-related issues from the political sphere. There is no way that this can be done, and instead it is replaced with a sort of atheistic or secular attitude which represses religious belief and expression. Therefore, the only way to effectively uphold the establishment clause and the freedom of religion so integral to American society and national ideals, is to allow all faiths a part in a completely open and public discussion of faith in politics, schools, and all governmental institutions and forums. Because it is impossible to simply remove all issues of this nature, the only "democratic" solution is to allow all faiths their voice.
Including the majority faith. We must end the oppression of Christianity.
Let the little girl sing if she knows her God to be an Awesome God.
xoxo!