Posted by: James A, Sweeney
Comment: #2
Mon Nov 17, 2008 4:59 AM
Re: frank gilbert; Sir;... Back at you for the above... I thought it was good, and the Rhonda has enough meat there for some real good article... And if she is waiting for equal rights, then so she shall... We have a government that was begun out of a notion of liberty and justice for all...We have all pledged ourselves to that goal at one point or another in our lives... But people are led to believe that the society is their tool for the denial of rights... No... A society which includes all needs to defend ALL rights... If you claim special rights, then smaller communities can defend those rights, and so long as they do not attack rights for others they will not conflict with the aim of government of the people, all the people..You do not have to let some one into your church if they do not agree with your ideas... You cannot deny anyone into your larger society whose ideas or behaviors hurt no one... If you exclude; you lose your entire power over them, and they lose all their loyalty to you... If you exclude, you may as well imprison because you have created an enemy.... Now, you cannot stop people from self excluding... If the religious feel superior to the general society, then they should be apart... But if their loyalties are divided, and they are the enemies of society they ought to make a treaty to live as a separate and friendly nation within the nation... They should not try to spoil the very peace and unity we may need for our survival some day... And religions spread division... All the Chrisitian denominations give evidence that these people sow division, and the only cause which unites them is the destruction of rights for others, which again, sows more division...So, I would say we need to talk about the legitimate goals of government... What common task can government do for all people that does not drive any group away... Because, as it stands, government does not defend rights in society... No union or association in America would be necessary, and no corporation in America would be allowed if the government set itself to the task of defending right... Government does defend privilege...Privilege, such as religious denominations should serve a pure public purpose....They cannot destroy every pretense of liberty to push their program of division... Let God sort us out, and save yourselves, is what I say, because the involvement of religion in the affairs of state is clearly a power play, and has nothing to do with faith, which no one is attacking, and everyone is supporting... If you see my point; morality is all the ideas of justice that all people in society can support, and a shared morality is essential to any society, because that is the key to unity, but after all, society has still got to work...Government has to work for all people, at a basic level, and if it cannot manage the basics, then it should not be directing any energy to the deniial of rights -which actually puts the basic goals of government further out of reach...Churches, like women, and like gays, and like blacks and like all people need the protection of government, and government is about the defense of rights just like every other form of relationship is about the defense of rights...Marriage is not much of a defense of rights, but that is its purpose, to make an exclusive relatonship that defends common property for any survivor or heirs...Gays are entitled, just like anyone else, and no true justification can be found for denying them rights... Christianity gave much support to slavery, as it does today... The South went to war with Bible in hand... We simply cannot allow these merchants of belief and magic and predjudice to run the country off the tracks... And the very failure of government to provide justice populates the churches of this land because threatened and harrassed people huddle together...The churches invite the destruction of the govenment because it benefits them, and for no other reason...We have to deny them power... Thanks...Sweeney
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