Although a lawsuit filed against the Pennsylvania General Assembly for its stunning and offensive "Year of the Bible" proclamation was not successful, it is gratifying that presiding U.S. District Judge Christopher Conner condemned its passage in strong terms, serving to warn the members not to engage in similar antics in the future.
It is interesting that a body of legislators which has refused to address so many critical issues (property tax reform/relief, our crumbling roads and bridges, privatization of the state liquor monopoly, elimination of the state's onerous death/inheritance tax for all, and others) devoted even one minute of time to sticking its hand into a religious directive, an action which is particularly amusing, given the sanctimonious nature of many of our "leaders." The resolution would have been outlandish enough had it sought to render this "the year of prayer," but it went further than that, telling us that the Bible is "the word of God," seeking to favor one set of religious beliefs over another and over those who have none.
The Pennsylvania General Assembly should be the last body which one would consult for pointers on how to model their lives and for how to worship if one chooses to do so. I hope that the members, some of whom voted for the resolution without knowing what was in it, paid close attention to the chastisement of the judge, one who is obviously wiser than them in this respect.
The sponsor of the resolution, state Rep. Rick Saccone, an educated man, is running for re-election this year and has a strong and principled opponent, former state Rep. David Levdansky. I wonder if there will be any backlash against Rep. Saccone for the poor judgment he displayed in his efforts to impose his set of religious beliefs on others.
It is clear you have a very different understanding of Christianity than I have. The relationship cannot be forced as religion can be forced. There in lies the difference. To be a follower of Christ it must be fully voluntary. No tax on non believers, no threat. It is true that the Catholic Church in times past tried tyranny, but that is not, in my view, Christianity. In fact, Hitler claimed he was a believer, and included a cross on the belt buckle of the SS. That is kind of like standing in a garage and saying that makes you a car. I had a preacher once who became Lutheran Minister, but did not become a Christian for years after he began to preach. He went to Seminary because it sounded like a nice job. If you want to know more, I suggest a book, "Mere Christianity", I think by C. S. Lewis. Or any book by Corrie ten Boom. Perhaps then you will know why as a mostly Christian nation we have only recently began to live under tyranny. Even yet we are in many ways more free than any other part of the world.
the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.". Jesus Christ = personal God. Others are denominations or doctrines within the Christian religion. Just sayin'...
Are you familiar with Wall Builders? Or, during the founders time, the Black Robed Regiment? www.wallbuilders.com/ or www.truthinhistory.org/the-black-robed-regiment.html I also recommend a book, "From Sea to Shining Sea" by Peter Marshall
The Crusades were also in the name of God. I should have been more specific - I challenge you to produce Biblical evidence of your statement "OUr schools neglect to teach that the churches are to keep a check on the government in this country by teaching natural law and discussing all aspects of government. Few are up to that task anymore, much to the detriment of our freedoms" specifically the part "that the churches are to keep a check on the government".
No, these are denominations of the Christian church. Please don't confuse religion with Christianity. Christianity is only about relationship with God, with God the active agent. Religion is only about man, and his futile attempts to reach God through self-imposed means. This is a huge difference. With so much talk about being upset over the Bible, the comments posted here seem clear that few have even bothered to read and study the Bible. This is regrettable, but not unusual. As usual, the objectors are those who have notions and perceptions of what the Bible says, most of which are inconsistent with biblical teaching. Apparently, it is far easier to go off on a tangent with ranting than to actually spend time to learn the truths of the Bible. The Bible does not teach religion, rather offers many, many teachings that reject any notion of religion. Some of the strongest teachings of Jesus were directed against those who wanted to practice religion.
There is actually no part of ANY religious book that is essential to the daily business of our Commonwealth's operations. No more than books about Zeus or Poseidon are relevant.
Not to pick nits, but your comment about Hitler's SS having a cross on their belt buckles is incorrect. Instead, they had the eagle & swastika of the Nazi Party, surrounded by the motto "Mein Ehre heist Treue", meaning, My Honor is Loyalty. The German Army, going back to Imperial days, had on it's belt buckles "Gott mit Uns", or God with Us. This continued even under the Nazi Regime. During the Third Reich, the Army and Navy both had chaplains; the Air Force and Waffen-SS did not.
I can only lead you to the truth. You will have to invest $10 for yourself for the books, or study the videos on those sites or find evidence to refute my claim yourself.
Deb, the Oxford Dictionary and Bible based Christians differ on the definition of religion. Religion is something you do religiously. Many who call themselves Christian are religious, but that is very different than a relationship with Christ, just as it is different that any relationship, whether family, or friend.
Please do not be offended, but It appears to me that you neither understand this great experiment called Pennsylvania, nor Christianity. William Penn and the founders of these United States took a brilliant, once in many life times chance and created a Republic. Not a Democracy. Governor Penn and many of the founders of these United States wrote that freedom required a republic, and that this republic would soon end when it ceased to be predominantly Christian. Not one of them ever wrote to refute that claim. I refer you to the references I gave to Ed M if you care to become part of the movement to restore freedom in this country, or even if you jsut want to prove me wrong. Hint: Much of the art in the Capitol building, and especially in the Supreme Court, was to remind us of our Christian roots. The same in the primary buildings in DC. Why do you think they were so careful to remind us of our Commonwealth's relationship with Jesus? Some of the founders were deists, yet they too, even old Ben himself, believed this to be true.
The Bible has many functions, and one of them is to make clear how we are to govern ourselves. There is no part of the Bible that does not apply. For example, the three parts of government, courts, executive and legislative, are taken from Leviticus, and the government Moses created for the Exedus. Ed, I have no idea how well you know the Bible, but if you want to know about Christianity, and ergo the Bible, I would be happy to meet with you and we can study that together. As to governments: A republic is very minimal government, very close to anarchy. Many of the founders wanted even more anarchy, and if we were all like Jesus, that would be fine, each man always prepared to put the other first. However, that is not the case, even among Christians. So not anarchy, but a republic. A republic cannot work if the people in it do not generally put others ahead of themselves. The life paradigm that best approaches selflessness is Christianity. Just as in the Bible, our Constitution is designed to let each of us work out our life as we see fit, as long as it does not hurt others. Ed M, you ask me to put in a blog what took me years to assimilate, and still I learn more every day. As best I can tell you in the brief space, the structure of this country is largely from Leviticus, the Ten Commandments, and the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount.
If you have an open mind, and seek the truth with your whole heart, you will find truth wants to be found. I would like to help with that if you are sincere. I do not have all the truth, but I have some, and I know the Man who has it all. He is my friend and companion.
in Blackstone's 1768 “Commentaries on the Laws of England.” “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largess from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising them the most benefits from the public treasure, with a result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.”
It is instead time to come to grips with the fact that these stories of "god" are nothing more than what we consider their historical predecessors: myths to be studied as ancient literature that affected a society, but no more credible or truthful than Harry Potter. I take heart knowing that our nation is slowly but surely realizing that the "truths" that churches and religious leaders are nothing more than ongoing thought control and wishful thinking, as evidenced by the steadily growing populace that identifies themselves as atheist and shedding themselves of these childish myths that are no more true or proven than stories of Zeus or Jupiter. Maybe then we can stop having to pay lip service to people who propagate superstition and fairy tales as reasons to restrict rights and freedoms. And before anyone quotes the good that churches do, please note that there are just as many atheists who perform good deeds, but the big difference is they are not doing it to punch their ticket to a fictional place in the sky because their god commands good deeds "OR ELSE." (PS - There needs to be a better reply mechanism on this site. Very difficult to respond in-line point by point. Constructive criticism.)
What you say has been said for thousands of years. It is not new. There is an ebb and flow of understanding. If you are not closed minded, I suggest a quick read by the great author C. S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity". You may remember him for the allegory series "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"
I know the Bible fairly well, but I'm not an expert. And I still dispute the statement you made regarding the church keeping the government in check. There is nothing Biblical about that.
Thomas, The series is titled "The Chronicles of Narnia" which "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is the 1st book in the series.
Do you agree that the Constitution of this Commonwealth was based largely on the Bible? If not, I refer you to the reference I have already given. If you agree, who would be better equipped to teach upon the Bible and its critical relationship to government? It is certainly not done by any other substantial group. As it is, few adults, and even fewer children are even aware there is a critical relationship, let alone have it scientifically taught to them. I will admit that in history, the first Bible on this continent was printed by Congress. I will even admit it was distributed by President Jefferson, mostly to children to study in schools. I will admit that the hall of Congress was the home worship center for the largest churches in DC at one time. I will admit that Congress once spent much of its official time reading and debating the Bible. I will even admit that the other most used primer in schools was primarily Biblically based. Even so, it is my opinion that even back then the preachers were for the most part better equipped to educate the people on the relationship between the Bible and government. Even more so now. If this is not enough for you, then your needs exceed my skills.
http://libertycrier.com/u-s-constitution/feds-try-to-take-innocent-elderly-couples-mom-and-pop-motel/?utm_source=The+Liberty+Crier&utm_campaign=7ad97141f1-The_Liberty_Crier_Daily_News_11_01_12&utm_medium=email
I agree regarding the regarding the PA Constitution and the Bible, but that doesn't translate to churches being responsible for keeping government in check.
Just wondering.