John McCain on Separation of Church and State

[zzyzx0788]

....can I suggest something to people? To those who are religious? Why we DO have separation of church and state and why thats a GOOD thing?

If you're a protestant, you don't want your children being taught Catholic things in school. If you're a protestant, you may not want your kids being taught a literal interpretation of the bible. This is a GOOD thing. Keeping government religiously neutral allows everyone to not feel alienated and to believe what they want.

[nkryan5787]

This is filled with factually incorrect statements.

The Treaty of Tripoli (as signed by president John Adams with the unanimous consent of the Senate) states "the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion".

The phrase "in god we trust" was not the national motto until the 1950s, hence no founding father ever supported it. The national motto they gave us was "e pluribus unum", latin for "out of many, one"

[h2opolodan11]

He's right... "Separation of Church and State" means no STATE-ENFORCED DENOMINATION... and not keep faith based principles out of the government...

[LordKaisen]

i do not want a theocracy come 2012. whoever doesn't represent god-fearing theocrats is the person i support.

[Jarydashcroft]

wait.. what? did he really just say that there's a statue with the saying "we walk on the poor, the tired, the huddled masses?"

And yet christians (i don't deem it being capitalized) still follow this BS?

[flammingbutter]

Add another reason why I love Sweden, where the debate is on how much to tax the church businesses there.

[44fastgun]

No, the constitution does not establish a Christian nation. Although we still abide by the Constitution, I'm quite certain that Christianity's founder does not classify the general behavior of the USA as Christianlike.

[deathtoawkward]

I didn't even know that seperation of church and state was questioned... by anyone.

[OnewhoWonders1]

We welcome the poor, the huddled, the tired masses huh? Is that going to be the motto for your border fence construction team? The land of religious tolerance should be a land of Christian government huh? I'm sure that will work out FANTASTICALLY for everyone who the Christians deem worthy of having rights. If we are at a point where the government thinks that the separation of church and state was an unintentional accident, then I'm sorry but I'm moving to Canada.

[mowriter]

Christianity was ASSUMED to be the only faith in practice in America when the Constitution was written; it was NOT codified in the Constitution. But what WAS codified was that the government would not be demanding faith practice of one kind or another, of it's citizens. And I have to question the legitimacy of anyone who thinks the government ought to be in that business today. Have you so little faith in someone following your beliefs, VOLUNTARILY? Is coercion all you have left, at last?

[MindAsFocus]

you don't have to be a christian to have a philosophy of freedom

[froggymicwop]

why do so many christians act like they're the only ones who believe in god? the ONLY people who don't are atheists. god is in judaism, islam, paganism, etc. christians who think like this need to get the fuck over themselves.

[reezlaw]

I'm soo glad you didn't elect this guy.

[Serioslump]

It is true that the first amendment of the constitution is based on the seperation of State and Church, and thats the way it should be.

[symmetricalastic]

I second that. I have lived in CA near SF my entire life and I have been around a lot of gays. The first school I had every gone to was a Catholic school because my grandmother was a Roman Catholic and in fact taught in a Roman Catholic school. A lot of the priests are gay, same with chior directors. In no way does gay marriage hurt anyone. There are difference branches of Christianity and people convert their religion all the fucking time! I did. I am agnost. The bible was NOT meant to

[symmetricalastic]

be taken literally word for word and it was written BEFORE CHRIST as in B.C. and A.D. There are so many religions in the world. Our constititutional ammendment says liberty and justice for ALL NOT ONLY Christians! The bible condones slavery which I definitely do not, it says dont eat shellfish, and so many other things that I do not agree with. You cannot pick and choose parts of the bible you like the looks of. A lot of english words have double or multiple meanings: gay=happy gay=same sex

[symmetricalastic]

concrete means the concrete outside but it also means rigidity to, too, and two there, they re and their. I cannot stand republicanism. It is a very selfish outlook on life

[symmetricalastic]

If people who voted against gay marriage, recite the Lords Prayer

[symmetricalastic]

people sin all the fucking time. Being gay is not a sin in my eyes

[booste30]

The VERY FIRST AMENDMENT of the constitution is based on the Separation of church and state. The paramount reason why the forefathers came to this country was for religious freedom. They listed it as their top goal in forming America. Matter of fact most of the fore fathers werent even Christian, but deist, atheist and agnostic. This is not a "Christian based nation." Ridiculous...

[teundilles]

Most of those founding fathers were christians, just not catholics. Many of them were influenced by the Enlightment though.

Separting Church and State is not implieing that laws cannot be based upon religious values and rules. I'm an atheis, but raised catholic. I however still find the 'rules' of christianity very valuable. Things like forgiviness, believing in equality etc. are things which have influenced the law. That's what he's saying and he is right about that.

[booste30]

These values are rendered obsolete when introducing free-thinking rationality. However I respect those values, while some others are pure nonsensical hatred upon others of a certain group due to the insecurity of others's personal beliefs, and you cannot deny that this is represented in the bible.

[teundilles]

Stating that religious freedom is a key-component in the US legislation is probably right, but still many laws are based upon christian values, but that really isn't wrong.

[Morrigan421]

What? WHAT? Is he really THAT slimy?! I didn't know he was this bad!