FBM wrote:It has been an xtian platform from the day it was found.
So what? It is precisely the fact that it is a "found" object that makes it subject to the protections of the First Amendment Free Exercise Clause. As a function of pure chance and circumstance, it became an object of veneration. Yes, Christian veneration, but if some array of debris had taken the form of a menorah or Star of David, the same principles would apply. Just because government is protecting an historical artifact that has religious meaning TO THE PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE, and to others, does not mean that government is "establishing" a religion. Government did not create the object, nor sanctify it, nor create a law demanding that people worship at its base. All government did is to preserve an artifact of the attack that THE PEOPLE have decided has religious significance. The people are expressly permitted to do this sort of thing, and their actions are fully protected against government interference by the Free Exercise Clause. Indeed, government has no authority to destroy or desecrate an object that is venerated by religious people unless it has a valid secular reason to do so that outweighs the religious rights of those who venerate the object.
This principle is seen in, for example, in the "voluntary" climbing ban and the various signs around Devil's Tower National Monument asking people to respect the fact that the volcanic plug is a venerated object of native American Indians. The government cannot ban climbing during times of religious observance by Indians because that would be an establishment of religion, i.e. favoring native American Indian religion over other religions. But the government can administer the site and spend government money putting up signs asking for cooperation and respect.
You see, not only does government have the duty of avoiding establishing religion, it also has an affirmative Constitutional duty to protect the free exercise of religion by the people, which means that it may not itself unduly interfere with religious practice, and it must AFFIRMATIVELY ACT to protect such free exercise against infringement by those who would deny free religious expression...like this atheist moron.
Atheists are responding to that fact.
The government not only has full authority to preserve the historical artifact, it has a duty to prevent atheists from infringing on the rights of religious individuals to venerate and worship at this icon.
So, this idiot is going to lose his case, and he's giving atheists a bad name for being an utter intolerant asshole. But that's nothing new when it comes to atheists I'm afraid.
You saw the images and link I posted on the previous page? What louder message do they carry but "God is on America's side because we're a Christian nation"? Have you forgotten that it was the religious right that put Dubya in the WH? String together a few presidencies like that and if that's not theocracy, it'll do until theocracy gets here.
Preserving historical artifacts and protecting the free exercise of religion is not "establishing religion" or creating a "theocracy," and those who argue that it is, like this idiot, are simply intolerant morons.
"Seth is Grandmaster Zen Troll who trains his victims to troll themselves every time they think of him" Robert_S
"All that is required for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Edmund Burke
"Those who support denying anyone the right to keep and bear arms for personal defense are fully complicit in every crime that might have been prevented had the victim been effectively armed." Seth
© 2013/2014/2015/2016 Seth, all rights reserved. No reuse, republication, duplication, or derivative work is authorized.
. And then when they come back, they can 