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From: ray@rochester.UUCP (Ray Frank)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion
Subject: Re: "Secular Humanism" banned in the US Schools.
Message-ID: <11464@rochester.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 8-Sep-85 13:56:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: rocheste.11464
Posted: Sun Sep  8 13:56:42 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Sep-85 07:14:37 EDT
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Organization: U. of Rochester, CS Dept.
Lines: 39
Xref: watmath net.politics:10893 net.religion:7584

> >> SURE!  As soon as you start teaching evolution in your church,
> >> I'll make sure they teach about God in my neighborhood school.
> >> Until then, I suggest the schools stick to facts and keep away
> >> from fantasy.
> >> 			Scott J. Berry
This subject may not belong here, and it may stur up a hornets nest, but so
does secular humanism so here goes.
Has it ever occured to any of us that this country really IS a religious/
christian country and should be coined as such to the extent that Iran is
considered a Muslim country, or Russia is considered an atheist country (no 
offense intented to the people of Russia who are religious, but this is the
official teaching line of the communist party).

If one looks at the founding fathers, they would find many instances of the
them refering to not only the constitution but also to God for wisdom in
guiding the country.  When the president takes the oath of office he says:
"So help me God."  Each day congress begins it's session with the Lord's
prayer.  Behind the Supreme court bench is a huge plaque with the Lord's
prayer on it.  Lincoln's Gettysburg Address mentions God.  Christmas is
very much a national holiday.  On all our currency is 'In God We Trust.'

Would it be religious tyranny for the federal government to take a stand on
religious issues?  Has religious tyranny existed in this country?  The seper-
ation of church and state I believe originally meant that people would have
the freedom to worship as they pleased without government oppression.  I
don't believe it meant the exclusion of government in declaring itself to be
of a religious faith if it thought itself as much.  Some people would make the
claim that if our government took a stand on religion that those who believed
differently would be singled out or somehow alienated.  I don't think so.  The
Constitution and the Bill of Rights protects all the people the same as it
protects members of the Nazis or Communist party even though these people in
principle don't agree with and in some cases would like to abolish our form
of government.  In order not to have words put in my mouth by Rosen I hereby
state that I do not equate Nazis or Communists with any other group of people.

One final thought, if the Government declared this country to be founded on
the beliefs that upset some people, would those people have a legitimate right
to claim that this declaration was unconstitutional because of a violation of
their rights?