The Death of Iraq's Christians

[yellow_crane]

In the case of the latest eruption of extremist notions that is at once stupid, dangerous, and presumptive beyond the pale, I offer this as Exhibit A:


"I believe we were founded to be a Christian nation and have deep Christian roots.  I therefore believe, to a degree anyhow, bordered by reason, we are a defender of Christaindom.  Following this line of thought then, I believe it is generally in our best NATIONAL INTEREST to do this."

[Xavier_Onassis]

Following this line of thought then, I believe it is generally in our best NATIONAL INTEREST to do this."

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Following this line of thought, we could reach the conclusion that it would be proper to make the Vatican City our 51st state.

[The_Professor]

Ok. We need extra tax revenue (we would tax it as we should tax ALL church assets.)

[The_Professor]

I prefer the "non-preferentialist" or "accommodationist" interpretation. This interpretation forbids Congress from preferring one religion over another such as Catholicism over Protestanism and so on, but does not prohibit the government's entry into religious domain to make accommodations in order to achieve the purposes of the Free Exercise Clause. I would postulate that the clause itself was seen as a reaction to the onerous Church of England. As you know, ther Church of England, corrupt as it was, was the one and only and therefore official church of England and even some of the colonies.

[yellow_crane]

I believe we were founded to be a Christian nation and have deep Christian roots. I therefore believe, to a degree anyway, bordered by reason, we are a defender of Christiandom. Following this line of thoguht then, I believe it is generally in our best NATIONAL INTERESTS to do this.

<now, watch what happens now...>

"WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENS WHEN THE STATE BECOMES THE CHURCH?"

What happens when church merges with state?  What happens when government agencies promote one religious view over another?  What happens when one version of Christianity

[yellow_crane]

con't

What happens when one version of Christianity is promoted over another by government agents?

Look no further that the US Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colo.  where conservative evangelical Christianity is aggressively promoted, conflated with the mission of the Air Force, cadets of other faiths are frequently insulted and forced to choose between mandatory academy functions and their religious holidays, and now a Lutheran chaplain has been fired for daring to criticize the culture of religious bigotry, and religious supremacism protected and enforced on campus.

The Washington Post, for example reported that "Amid a rising chorus of complaints about preferential treatment for evangelical Christians--AND COMMAND PRESSURE ON NON-EVANGELICALS--among the 4000 cadets, a Pentagon task force is visiting the Colorado campus . . .

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The Post continues that surveys of cadets and alumni, "have shown that some students have said that they felt a heavy and sometimes offensive emphasis on evagelical Christianity, with praise for cadets who praise for cadets who pronounce their 'born-again' status and insults aimed at Jews, Roman Catholics and non-evangelical cadets.  One staff chaplain told newly arrived freshmen last summer that anyone not born-again "will burn in the fires of Hell."

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'The evangelicals want to subvert the system,' Morton said.  'They have a very clear social and political agenda.  The evangelical tone is pervasive at the academy, and it's aimed at . . . ."

http://www.frederickclarkson.com/2005_05_08_fredclarkson_archive.html