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    jaimethepooh's Avatar
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    Barrier between church, state chipped away

    Freedom: the absence of hindrance, restraint, confinement or repression.

    Tolerate: to bear or put up with someone or something not especially liked.

    Which one is a founding principle on which our nation was built? Of course, it's freedom. Which one do we seem to embrace more nowadays? That is subject to debate.

    Recent actions suggest that some would prefer to disband our country's long held belief in freedom of religion. They would rather push their beliefs onto everyone, while merely tolerating different views.

    While the Lenoir County commissioners' recent decision - which endorsed a proclamation affirming our nation's heritage was based on the belief in God - isn't as radical as some - like the Alabama judge who demands he be allowed to post the Ten Commandments in a government courtroom - they all in some way chip away at the barrier between church and state.

    In the Alabama courtroom, Chief Justice Roy Moore wants his beliefs to become part of our legal practice. On the face, it looks harmless. You post a list of 10 rules that are a good foundation on which to build your life. We shouldn't steal. We shouldn't kill. We shouldn't lie.

    But does a national court of law care if you take the Lord's name in vain? Or is cursing now outlawed? Does a court care if you get along with your parents, so long as you don't hurt each other? That should be left for Rikki Lake. Should our government care if you covet your neighbor's wife? That should be left for Jerry Springer. And should our courts care if we put another god before the Christian God? Not if we even remotely want to maintain any hint of freedom of religion.

    The commissioners' endorsement of our nation's heritage is easily less divisive, but is divisive all the same. They merely acknowledged a fact - that many of our founding fathers, if not all, fostered a belief in God.

    History is important. So is honoring our heritage. But there are times and places in which this type of honoring should be done. When it comes to "God," the honors should not come from our government.

    The resolution has also been brought before the Kinston City Council. They would be wise to decline such an endorsement. The message that such a proclamation sends is not just an affirmation of our heritage. It not so subtly implies that believing as our founding father did is "the right thing," and all citizens should believe the same. But it's not necessarily right or wrong. That judgment depends on the religious feeling of the individual.

    What these steps do is bring us closer to a government that is fully comfortable with making morality into law. But when you adopt the morals of one segment of society, you are often trampling on those of another. Next thing you know, profanity is outlawed, adultery is outlawed, pornography is outlawed. Sure, these are things we could likely do without, but in doing so, we can't claim to be free. We are then at the whim of another's morals. And what if that particular set of morals doesn't agree with your own? Let's just hope when that time comes, that your belief is represented in government.

    When that time comes, we will no longer practice a freedom of religion. We will simply tolerate religions different from the ruling class. Toleration is not freedom. It's allowable intimidation. That society is pressured into believing one way. That nation wears a frown.

    That's an America I don't want to tolerate.


    Drew Loftis can be reached at [email protected]

    http://www.kinston.com/SiteProcessor...&Section=Local

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    Willow's Avatar
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    Very interesting. Thanks!

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    jaimethepooh's Avatar
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    Interesting. Thank you
    Proud Wiccan Mommy to 5 great kids

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