FEATURE ARTICLES. WHAT DOES THE U.S. CONSTITUTION ACTUALLY SAY ABOUT RELIGION? PT 2.(UPDATE)

In Part 1, I quoted Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution. I pointed out that this section of the Constitution, along with the First Amendment, are the only two places that religion is referred to in the entire body of the document.   I will now quote from the Bill of Rights, the section that references religion.

First Amendment-  "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

There you have it.  These two passages make it clear what role religion would play in the development of the new republic, and at no time do they contradict each other. 

- Congress would not address the subject of religion in any way.

- There would be no religious test to hold public office.  One need only swear allegiance to the Constitution. 

However, Now we have JUDGES IMPOSING THEIR OWN PERSONAL CHRISTIAN BELIEFS ON DECIDING THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF CERTAIN ISSUES. IN OTHER WORDS, IT MUST PASS THEIR "RELIGIOUS TEST." These are CHRISTIAN FASCISTS WHO ARE SEEKING TO UNDERMINE AND DESTROY THE CONCEPT OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FOR ALL BY LEGALIZING THEIR OWN FAITH AND CRIMINALIZING OTHER FAITHS.

- Since Religious Freedom is considered a right that every American has, it cannot be taken away.  In other words, creating and passing legislation that removes this right is not possible.

For those who claim that the founding fathers had an agenda that would establish Christianity as an essential part of our legal system, and that it is justified within the body of the Constitution, ignore certain details.  None of the following appears within the ratified document;

• God.
• Jesus.
• Christian or Christianity.
• Prayer.
• Bible.
• Old or New Testament.
• Sin.
• Heaven or Hell.

In fact, the only word that could possibly be a reference to a Supreme Being is the use of the term "Lord".  However, this word is used only once in the following fragment; "...in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven...".  This was a common way that dates and times were presented in print, and was not considered to be an expression of faith.

It's amazing that many of todays Lawmakers wish to regulate public policy according to the faiths and beliefs of certain segments of American society.  This completely ignores the obvious intentions of the Framers of the Constitution.  Why would they make it the law of the land to require no religious test to hold public office, and then seek to Legislate by Doctrines found in certain faiths?

(See PT.3 in a future posting.)

Date- 11/11/2013.

LOGIC. IT'S NOT JUST FOR VULCANS, AND VIEWERS OF "THE BIG BANG THEORY." #3.

In the following two examples, we are faced with the same category of flawed reasoning.

A)  Statement-  "I think Same- Sex Couples should have the same Rights and Opportunities as Heterosexual Couples."

       

Answer-  "So I guess we have to allow Brothers and Sisters to get married, or let children get married no matter how old they are.  Even worse, such a thing as Bestiality must be legalized."

B)  Statement-  "Churches enjoy Tax Exempt Status, that is why they cannot endorse any Political Party, Candidate or Platform."

      

Answer-  "Really, Priests and Ministers can't be allowed to vote.  If they do, it would be illegal, and the State will shut them down."

The above are actual examples I took from talk radio, but this Logical Fallacy can be found all across the Media. They are both examples of STRAW MAN ARGUMENTS.

A Straw Man argument takes a proposition or assertion, and refutes it by misstating or misapplying what was said.  Often this is done by claiming to argue against something that was not part of the original content, and attempts to create a position that the opposing side never proposed, endorsed or even addressed.

In the first example, the initial statement only proposed that Same- Sex couples be given status equal to that of Heterosexual couples.  Since Heterosexual couples have restrictions that may or may not allow them to Legally Marry, ( i.e. Age, Bloodlines, Freedom of Choice without Coercion, Bigamy etc.), these would also apply to Same- Sex couples.  There is no reason to think that legalizing Homosexual Unions would exempt them from the guidelines already established for Heterosexual Couples.

The second example applies to Public Political Behavior that occurs at Church Sanctioned Activities, and behavior that is private in nature. Church officials can express their opinions freely, and legally comment on any part of the Election Process, as long as it is not done at an official event that acknowledges their Authority or Capacity within the Church.  Also, I am unaware of any Law that prevents a member of the Clergy from voting, apart from guidelines established for every citizen.

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON 5/22/2014)

THE MYSTERIOUS WORLD. HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE? #2.

That leads us to the First Major Problem that is encountered when Researching any Subject Dealing with THE PARANORMAL.  Just because a Book, or any Published Work lists a BIBLIOGRAPHY, DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT HAS BEEN RESEARCHED PROPERLY.  Listing Source Material is Meaningless, if the AUTHORSHIP IS OF DUBIOUS OR QUESTIONABLE RELIABILITY.

I Mention the BERMUDA TRIANGLE, because there is perhaps no Greater Fabrication of a LEGEND THAT HAS NO REAL BASIS IN FACT, AND IS BASICALLY THE CREATION OF A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL. ( I will Discuss This in a Future Post.)  However, for this Post, let us begin to ask some basic questions, and see if we can understand the Reasoning behind the MYSTERY.

Here is a Map of the Area in Question.


















This map brings me to the First Point:

I CAN DRAW A CIRCLE, SQUARE, TRIANGLE, TRAPEZOID etc., around any area of the GLOBE, AND FIND EXAMPLES OF MISSING PERSONS, BOATS, PLANES. This is especially TRUE IN BODIES OF WATER, AND MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS, WHERE DISCOVERY AND RECOVERY OF EVIDENCE WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE.

However, for the sake of Argument, let us say that this area has more Incidents of UNEXPLAINED DISAPPEARANCES THAN SIMILAR REGIONS IN SIZE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. How could this be Explained?

THIS BRINGS US TO THE NEXT POINT:

UNEXPLAINED AND UNEXPLAINABLE DO NOT MEAN THE SAME THING. 

UNEXPLAINED-  A DEFINITIVE CAUSE HAS NOT BEEN FOUND.  ALTHOUGH

DIFFERENT EXPLANATIONS MAY BE OFFERED, THE AMOUNT OF RELIABLE AND TESTABLE EVIDENCE IS NOT SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO ALLOW US TO DRAW A CONCLUSION WITH REASONABLE CERTAINTY. 

UNEXPLAINABLE-  THAT THE INCIDENT, BY ITS VERY NATURE AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING IT, CAN NEVER BE REASONABLY EXPLAINED, REGARDLESS OF THE QUALITY OR QUANTITY OF THE EVIDENCE FOUND, AND PROPERLY ANALYZED.

One Question that is often asked, when we examine Popular Myths and Legends,

is why are so many "INCIDENTS" OR "EVENTS" LISTED AS UNEXPLAINABLE?

THE ANSWER:  LOOK AT THE INDIVIDUALS MAKING SUCH JUDGMENTS, AND THE POSSIBLE BENEFITS OF MAKING SUCH ILL-INFORMED DECISIONS. 

AFTER ALL, POLITICIANS DO IT ALL THE TIME.

QUICK HITTERS. POST #17. THE PRESIDENTS IMMIGRATION SPEECH- WHAT DOES HE ACTUALLY SAY? PT 1.

Lets try a Novel Approach. Ignoring what the Political Pundits on Television and the Radio Have to say, and actually READ THE TRANSCRIPT FROM PRESIDENT OBAMAS IMMIGRATION SPEECH.

It is available on line.  So, if you are interested, why not Download it, before passing Judgment.

The following Posts on this Topic, are my Thoughts and Opinions taken directly from the Transcript.

Lets get started.

He opens by praising the Two- Hundred Year+ History of the U.S. welcoming Immigrants from around the World, and the Advantages it has given the Country over other Nations.

However, he goes on to say:

"...Today, our immigration system is broken, and everybody knows it.  Families who enter our country the right way and play by the rules watch others flout the rules.  Business owners who offer their workers good wages and benefits see the competition exploit undocumented immigrants by paying them less."

From this passage we can take the following;

-  The President is acknowledging the State of the Immigration System, AND THE NEED FOR IT TO BE FIXED.

-  That the way the system is currently operated victimizes;  Legal Immigrants who follow the Law, and Honest Business Owners who offer good wages and benefits, who see competitors using undocumented workers to save money.

The President goes on to say;

 "All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America."

-  In other words, the Advantages and Responsibilities go hand and hand.  With one comes the other.

LOOK FOR PART 2.

Date-  11/25/2014.